Council Connect Articles

APOT Standard Adjusted in Sacramento County

Who

  • Sacramento County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SCEMSA)  
  • Sacramento area hospitals, fire departments, and private emergency medical services (EMS) providers 

What

Hospitals have worked diligently, innovatively, and collaboratively to improve ambulance patient offload times (APOT) in 2024. With a state-highest collective APOT of 73 minutes in December 2023, area hospitals achieved a dramatic improvement over a 12-month period, dropping to 27 minutes in December 2024.  

A 20-minute standard has been in place since 2016, with hospitals arguing that it should be raised to 30 minutes in the immediate term. In a meeting convened by Sacramento County Supervisor Pat Hume on Jan. 13, hospital and EMS leaders accepted a proposal to change the APOT standard. The agreement provides immediate Assembly Bill 40 regulatory relief to hospitals by establishing a new APOT standard of 30 minutes, which will lower to 20 minutes by Jan. 1, 2027.  

To achieve this progressively lowering time standard, all parties agreed to a scope of work that includes ongoing operational improvements, sharing of best practices, facilitated collaboration with existing partners (including post-acute providers and managed care plans), implementation of new SCEMSA policies and programs, and adoption of new technological tools. 

Takeaway/Next Steps

The ongoing collaboration between SCEMSA, hospitals, and EMS providers will now include post-acute providers through 2025. 

Contact

RVP Brian Jensen at bjensen@hospitalcouncil.org