Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
 
 
Questions and Answers about 
eMDR - Electronic Medical 
Device Reporting 
 
 
Guidance for Industry, User 
Facilities and FDA Staff
 
 
Document Issued on: February 14, 2014 
 
The draft of this document was issued on August 21, 2009. 
 
 
 
For questions regarding this document contact Sharon E. Kapsch, 301-796-6104, 
Sharon.Kapsch@fda.hhs.gov.  
 
 
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Food and Drug Administration 
Center for Devices and Radiological Health 
Office of Surveillance and Biometrics 
Division of Postmarket Surveillance 
MDR Policy Branch  
 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
Preface 
 
 
Public Comment 
 
You may submit written comments and suggestions at any time for Agency consideration 
to the Division of Dockets Management, Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers 
Lane, rm. 1061, (HFZ-305), Rockville, MD  20852.  Submit electronic comments to 
http://www.regulations.gov.  Identify all comments with the docket number listed in the 
notice of availability that publishes in the Federal Register.  Comments may not be acted 
upon by the Agency until the document is next revised or updated. 
 
Additional Copies 
 
Additional copies are available from the Internet. You may also send an e-mail 
request to CDRH-Guidance@fda.hhs.gov to receive a copy of the guidance. 
Please use the document number 1679 to identify the guidance you are requesting. 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Table of Contents 
 
1.  Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 
2.  Background .......................................................................................................................................... 2 
3.  General Issues ...................................................................................................................................... 2 
A.  Electronic MDR Submissions ......................................................................................................... 2 
B.  Sending an Electronic MDR Submission via FDA's Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG) 3 
C.  Supplemental, Follow-up, and Additional Information Submissions ......................................... 7 
D.  Communication about Software Changes and System Outages ................................................. 8 
E.  Additional Sources of Information ................................................................................................ 9 
4.  References............................................................................................................................................. 9 
 
 
 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Questions and Answers about eMDR - 
Electronic  
Medical Device Reporting 
 
Guidance for Industry, User Facilities and 
FDA Staff
 
 
 
This guidance represents the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) current thinking on 
this topic.  It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person and does not operate to 
bind FDA or the public.  You can use an alternative approach if the approach satisfies the 
requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations.  If you want to discuss an alternative 
approach, contact the FDA staff responsible for implementing this guidance.  If you cannot 
identify the appropriate FDA staff, call the appropriate number listed on the title page of this 
guidance.  
1.  Introduction  
 
This guidance is intended to answer questions related to FDAs final rule requiring device 
manufacturers and importers to submit mandatory reports of individual medical device adverse 
events, also known as medical device reports (MDRs), to the Agency in an electronic format that 
FDA can process, review, and archive (hereinafter referred to as the eMDR Final Rule).1 
Electronic reporting is also available to user facilities, however, the eMDR Final Rule permits 
user facilities to continue to submit only written reports to FDA.  The requirements of this final 
rule will take effect on August 14, 2015. This guidance provides general information regarding 
how to prepare and send an electronic postmarket medical device report to the Center for Devices 
and Radiological Health (CDRH) in FDA.  The guidance also identifies where you can find more 
detailed information on the preparation and transmission of the reports.2   
 
FDAs guidance documents, including this guidance, do not establish legally enforceable 
responsibilities.  Instead, guidances describe the Agencys current thinking on a topic and should 
be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are 
                                                           
1 The eMDR Final Rule, which amends 21 CFR Part 803, can be found in 79 FR DOC 2014-
03279, February 13, 2014. 
2 See 
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/PostmarketRequirements/Re
portingAdverseEvents/eMDRElectronicMedicalDeviceReporting/default.htm.  
  1  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
cited.  The use of the word should in Agency guidances means that something is suggested or 
recommended, but not required.  
 
 
2.  Background 
 
For over 20 years, FDA received postmarket MDRs in a paper format through the mail. The 
eMDR Final Rule requiring the electronic submission to FDA of manufacturer and importer 
MDRs is an important step toward improving the Agencys systems for collecting and analyzing 
postmarket MDRs. When FDA receives data elements in a paper format, the information must be 
manually entered into our internal electronic database before it can be effectively reviewed and 
analyzed. This process is extremely time consuming, costly, and susceptible to data entry errors. 
Electronic submission of MDRs will have the following benefits: 
 
  Reducing industry's time and costs associated with transcribing data from internal data 
management systems to paper and mailing the paper reports to the Agency; 
  Reducing the Agency's transcription errors, time, and costs associated with receiving 
paper reports and transcribing data to electronic format for review and analysis; 
  Expediting the Agency's access to safety information in a format that supports efficient 
and comprehensive data analysis and reviews; and 
  Enhancing the Agency's ability to rapidly communicate information about suspected 
problems to the medical device industry, health care providers, consumers, and other 
government Agencies. 
 
 
3.  General Issues  
 
Specific requirements for the submission of postmarket MDRs to FDA are in 21 CFR Part 803.  
This guidance document addresses general issues related to the electronic submission of 
postmarket MDRs and provides links to more detailed information on the preparation of an 
electronic MDR (eMDR) submission.   
 
A.  Electronic MDR Submissions 
 
What is an electronic MDR submission? 
For the purposes of this guidance, an eMDR submission is a file containing one or more 
medical device reports in an electronic format that FDA can process, review, and archive. 
 
What information do I need to include in my electronic MDR? 
  2  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
The MDR regulation (21 CFR Part 803) specifies the types of reports and the data 
elements required in an MDR.  An eMDR contains the same data elements. Importers 
must include the information specified in 21 CFR 803.42.  Manufacturers must include the 
information specified in 21 CFR 803.52.  User facilities must include the information 
specified in 21 CFR 803.32.  Although the eMDR Final Rule permits user facilities to 
continue to submit MDRs on paper, user facilities may instead choose to submit MDRs in 
an electronic format.    
 
What is the format of an electronic MDR? 
FDA's current data system was developed to process, review, and archive MDRs 
configured according to the Health Level Seven Individual Case Safety Report (HL7 
ICSR) message format.  An MDR is made up of data element identifiers and the 
associated data element value in a machine-readable format. For specific information on 
data element identifiers used by both of the reporting options discussed below, see the 
Health Level Seven (HL7) Individual Case Safety Report (ICSR) Release 1:  
Implementation Guide for FDA Medical Device Reporting at 
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/DataStandards/IndividualCaseSafetyReports/default.htm.  
 
B.  Sending an Electronic MDR Submission via FDA's Electronic 
Submissions Gateway (ESG) 
 
What do I need to do to start submitting MDRs electronically to FDA? 
 
To submit MDRs electronically, you will need to set up a Web Trader Account and then 
submit test data that is successfully processed through the ESG before you receive a 
production account to use for your MDR submissions.  Here is the process for beginning 
to file eMDRs:   
 
1.  Request a Web Trader Account from the ESG. 
2.  Submit a Letter of Non-Repudiation to FDA.3 
3.  Obtain a personal digital certificate.4 
4.   Submit test data.  Prepare a test eMDR (a mock report and not an actual adverse 
event report) containing the information specified in the appropriate section of 
                                                           
3 The non-repudiation agreement allows the FDA to receive electronically signed submissions in compliance with 21 
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 11.100. You can find sample letters of non-repudiation agreement at 
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/esg/userguide/webhelp/Sample_Letters_of_Non-Repudiation_Agreement.htm 
4 A digital certificate is an attachment to an electronic message that allows the recipient to authenticate the identity of 
the sender via third- party verification from an independent certificate authority.  Digital certificates are used to 
identify encryption and decryption codes between message senders and recipients. Information on the FDA ESG and 
digital certificates is available at http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ElectronicSubmissionsGateway/ucm113223.htm 
  3  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
21 CFR Part 803: 803.32 for user facilities, 803.42 for importers, or 803.52 for 
manufacturers.  
5.  Receive a production account from the ESG.  CDRH will notify ESG to provide 
you with the production account once you have completed successful testing.   
6.  Use the production account to send your actual eMDRs to FDA. 
 
Detailed instructions can be found at:  
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ElectronicSubmissionsGateway/ucm114831.htm 
   
Additional information about the ESG is available at: 
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ElectronicSubmissionsGateway/default.htm. 
 
How do I prepare an electronic MDR submission? 
You can choose from two options to create your eMDR submission.  More information on 
the two options for filing eMDRs is available at: 
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/FDAeSubmitter/ucm107903.htm . 
 
1. FDA eSubmitter (formerly referred to as CDRH eSubmitter or CeSub) Software 
 
The eSubmitter program is a free, downloadable application that allows users to create 
one report at a time.  With eSubmitter, the user manually enters the required MDR 
information into the eSubmitter program. The program contains data elements that 
correspond with 21 CFR 803.32, 803.42, and 803.52, and generates the .xml message, in 
HL7 ICSR format, needed to successfully transmit the report via the ESG. 
 
The eSubmitter program allows the user to print a copy of the submitted report(s) and 
allows the attachment of labeling or other documents to the initial report or to a 
supplemental or follow-up report.  
 
The eSubmitter program and installation instructions are free and available at:  
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/FDAeSubmitter/ucm108165.htm. 
 
 
2. Health Level Seven (HL7) Individual Case Safety Reporting 
 
This option provides the capability to create and submit eMDRs either individually or in 
batches (containing multiple individual reports in a single submission).  Entities who 
choose this option are encouraged to develop systems that can save or print the resultant 
report and that can encode attachments into their eMDRs. 
 
You can find more detailed information on these two methods of preparing an eMDR at: 
  4  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/PostmarketRequirem
ents/ReportingAdverseEvents/eMDRElectronicMedicalDeviceReporting/default.htm. 
 
How should I complete a data field (a field where a user can type information) if I do 
not have information for the field?  
For Health Level Seven (HL7) Individual Case Safety Reporting users, the HL7 ICSR 
schema provides for several values that may be used when there is no information to enter 
in an optional field: 
  ASKU - asked but unavailable 
  NI - no information  
  NA - not applicable 
These null values are added to the code of the HL7 ICSR message to further clarify why 
data is not being provided.  Information on how to properly implement null values is 
found at: 
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/PostmarketRequirem
ents/ReportingAdverseEvents/ucm127951.htm. 
(At that site, click the link for "Complete Packet: eMDRHL7files.zip" and select the ICSR 
Implementation Technical Specification document, which answers the question "How do I 
address null values?").  
For eSubmitter users, if you have no information to provide for a given data field, and 
eSubmitter does not allow the selection of a null value for that field, you should leave the 
field blank. 
 
How do I know if my submission of an electronic MDR was successful? 
FDAs system will automatically route three separate electronic acknowledgments to the 
user's ESG account.  These acknowledgements indicate the stage of processing that the 
eMDR has reached:   
Acknowledgment 1, also known as the Receipt or MDN (Message Disposition 
Notification) acknowledgment, indicates that the ESG received the eMDR(s). 
Acknowledgment 2 indicates that CDRH received the eMDR(s). 
Acknowledgment 3 indicates the pass or failure status of the eMDR(s) into 
CDRHs adverse event database--that is, whether the eMDR was successfully 
loaded into the database. 
If there are no errors, we anticipate that the three acknowledgement letters will be 
generated the same day or within 24 hours of the submission. 
 
What date does FDA consider the receipt date for an electronic MDR? 
FDA considers the receipt date for an eMDR to be the date the eMDR arrived at the ESG 
(Acknowledgment 1), but only if the eMDR is successfully loaded in the CDRH database 
  5  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
(a passing Acknowledgment 3).  If a failure occurs during the validation or loading 
process, the error is described in Acknowledgment 3.  The reporting entity should correct 
the error(s) and resubmit the eMDR.  If the resubmitted eMDR is successfully loaded, (a 
passing Acknowledgment 3), the receipt date will be the date that the resubmitted eMDR 
arrived at the ESG, as documented in the Acknowledgment 1 issued for the resubmitted 
eMDR.   
 
The time zone should not be a concern for timely reporting under MDR. Although 
Acknowledgment 1 displays both the date and time according to the Eastern Standard 
Time (EST)/Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) zone, MDR considers only the date for the 
purposes of calculating timely reporting.  If the report is successfully loaded, this 
processing should take no more than an hour.  Although Acknowledgment 1 displays 
EST/EDT, FDA will consider the local time of the submitter when determining the 
submission date, just as a postmark date is used for mailed paper reports.   
 
 
What should I do if Acknowledgment 3 notifies me of validation and loading error(s) 
in my electronic MDR?  
If you submit an eMDR individually (not as part of a batch), and receive an 
Acknowledgment 3 that states that your report has failed to load, the Acknowledgment 3 
will describe the error(s). You should correct the error(s) and resubmit the eMDR, at 
which time you will receive another set of three acknowledgments.   
If you submit an eMDR as part of a batch, Acknowledgment 3 will list all the reports in 
the batch and indicate whether each report has passed or failed to load.  You should 
correct the error(s) for the failed reports and resubmit the FAILED reports ONLY.  You 
should not resubmit the entire original batch. When you resubmit the report(s) that 
contained errors, you will get another set of three acknowledgments for the resubmitted 
eMDR(s). 
 
Errors that will prevent successful loading in the CDRH database of an eMDR include: 
-  Failure to provide data in a required data field, such as the report number,  
-  Failure to use the appropriate format for a data field, such as an incorrect date 
format, 
-  Invalid report number error: Use of an invalid report number (i.e., not following 
the correct format for the number or using an incorrect number for the reporting 
entity), 
-  Character max error: Too many characters entered, exceeding the character 
limitations for a given data field, 
-  Duplicate report error:  Caused when a reporting entity submits a report that was 
previously loaded successfully into the CDRH database, and  
  6  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
-  Initial report not found for this supplemental error:  Caused when a user submits a 
supplemental report to an initial report that has not been accepted in the CDRH 
database. 
If you need help interpreting error messages in Acknowledgment 3, send an e-mail to 
eMDR@fda.hhs.gov. 
 
What should I do if I send my eMDRs and do not receive one or more of the 
acknowledgments? 
If you do not receive Acknowledgment 1 or 2, check the status of the ESG 
at:http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ElectronicSubmissionsGateway/ucm367545.htm .   If 
the ESG system status website indicates the ESG is operating normally, contact the ESG 
Staff at ESGHelpDesk@fda.hhs.gov.
If you do not receive Acknowledgment 3, check the eMDR Status Page at 
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/PostmarketRequirem
ents/ReportingAdverseEvents/eMDR
ElectronicMedicalDeviceReporting/ucm179299.htm.  If the eMDR system status website 
indicates that eMDR is operating normally, contact eMDR@fda.hhs.gov. 
 
Should I keep a copy of the eMDRs that are in my electronic MDR submission?  
Should I keep the acknowledgments? 
Yes, under 21 CFR 803.18(b)(1)(ii) of the eMDR Final Rule, an entity is required to keep 
paper or electronic copies of all reports submitted to us or to importers, distributors, or 
manufacturers.  In addition, under 21 CFR 803.18(b)(1)(iii) of the eMDR Final Rule, an 
entity must keep copies of all electronic acknowledgments sent by FDA in response to the 
entity's eMDRs.  
   
C.  Supplemental, Follow-up, and Additional Information Submissions 
 
How do I update a report? 
Under 21 CFR 803.12 of the eMDR Final Rule, manufacturers and importers must submit 
supplemental or follow-up reports to FDA in an electronic format that FDA can process, 
review and archive.  User facilities may submit follow-up reports to FDA in an electronic 
format, but are still allowed to report only on paper in accordance with 21 CFR 803.12(b). 
 
The options for preparing and transmitting a supplement or follow-up report are the same 
as those for initial reports, discussed above.  For all updates, you should include the initial 
report number and state that the type of submission is a follow-up report.  Limit your 
additional entries to those where you need to update previously provided information.  For 
example, if patient age and sex are unchanged, do not include them in your supplement or 
follow-up report.  If you are updating or correcting the model number, provide the 
  7  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
corrected information only.  A submitter should use electronic submissions for 
supplemental or follow-up reports even for MDRs that were initially filed on paper. 
 
Can a reporting entity respond to an FDA Request for Additional Information (AI) 
electronically?  
If FDA requests additional information for an MDR under 21 CFR 803.15, you are 
encouraged to submit the response electronically.   
 
A manufacturer responding to an FDA request for additional information, using the 
3500A format, should enter the initial report number, indicate in Block H2 that the type of 
follow-up is a Response to FDA Request, and provide the requested information in 
Block H10/11, Additional Manufacturer Narrative.  Any discrete data elements should 
also be reported in Block H10/11. You may submit the letter you received as an 
attachment to the submission.  
 
The FDA request for AI may give the manufacturer the option to respond using email to 
the FDA sender. The manufacturer's email response should include the identifying 
information specified in the AI request.   
 
A communication from FDA to a user facility or importer that requests additional 
information will provide instructions for responding to the sender.  That response should 
include the identifying information specified in the AI request.   
D.  Communication about Software Changes and System Outages 
 
How will I learn of future changes to software, data fields and code lists? 
 
FDA is committed to providing industry with adequate notice of any specification changes 
and, when possible, will ensure previous versions of such specifications can still be 
utilized to submit adverse events electronically.  We will utilize our websites for MDR, 
eMDR, and FDA ESG as well as Federal Register notices and updates to this guidance 
(when appropriate) to provide sufficient advance notification of changes to all 
stakeholders.  We will work with stakeholders on implementation of the changes and 
expect to support previous specifications long enough to ensure that HL7 and eSubmitter 
users are able to make the necessary changes.  
 
What should I do if a System Outage prevents me from filing an electronic MDR on 
time? 
 
The FDA ESG website provides notification of scheduled maintenance and maintains a 
status history that documents unscheduled down time for the FDA ESG.  The CDRH 
eMDR website provides notification of scheduled maintenance for the CDRH eMDR 
processing system. Typically, an ESG or CDRH eMDR processing system outage will not 
last more than 24 hours and should not require an extension of time.  However, if a 
manufacturer or importer is unable to submit a report on time due to an outage affecting 
the ESG or the CDRH eMDR processing system, it may document its attempts at timely 
  8  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
filing in Block H10 for the affected reports and submit reports electronically as soon as 
the ESG or CDRH eMDR processing system is operational.   
 
A reporting entity using an HL7 reporting option should plan for a backup method of 
reporting for an outage affecting its own system.  If a reporting entity experiences an 
outage within its own system that will affect timely reporting, it should contact FDA at the 
eMDR email address, eMDR@fda.hhs.gov.  The email should provide FDA with 
information on the problem, the number of reports affected, and an estimate of how long it 
will take to resolve.  We will respond to provide instructions on alternatives for 
submission of the adverse event reports.  A description of the problem with the electronic 
submission should be documented in Block H10 for the affected reports before they are 
submitted.   
 
When an alternative method is used during a system outage, FDA will respond with an 
Acknowledgment 3 that documents that the report has been successfully loaded in the 
CDRH database or failed to load due to specified errors.  In these instances, the reporting 
entity will not receive an Acknowledgment 1 or 2.  
 
E.  Additional Sources of Information 
 
Where can I find technical information concerning the eSubmitter software? 
 
Technical information, e.g., information on downloading the software, on the eSubmitter 
system is accessible at http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/FDAeSubmitter/ucm108165.htm. 
 
Where can I find technical information concerning the HL7 ICSR? 
 
Technical information, including technical specifications, on the HL7 ICSR is accessible 
at 
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/PostmarketRequirem
ents/ReportingAdverseEvents/ucm127948.htm 
 
Who do I contact if I cannot find the answer to my question? 
 
For general questions on eMDR submissions, e-mail eMDR@fda.hhs.gov.  For questions 
concerning the FDA Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG), please contact the ESG staff 
as indicated on their Web site: 
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ElectronicSubmissionsGateway/default.htm. 
 
For questions about the MDR regulation and reporting, you may call 301-796-6670 or 
send an email to MDRPolicy@fda.hhs.gov  
4.  References 
 
  9  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
1. Medical Device Part Reporting 21 CFR 803: see the final rule, Medical 
Device Reporting:  Electronic Submission Requirements,79 FR DOC 
2014-03279, February 13, 2014. 
2. Electronic Medical Device Reporting  
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/Postma
rketRequirements/ReportingAdverseEvents/eMDR
ElectronicMedicalDeviceReporting/default.htm 
3. HL7 Individual Case Safety Report  -  technical files 
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/Postma
rketRequirements/ReportingAdverseEvents/ucm127951.htm 
4. FDA Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG) 
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ElectronicSubmissionsGateway/default.htm 
  
 
  10