Alternate Destination Strategy Approved in Sacramento
Who What SCEMSA’s medical director recently reported that the California Emergency Medical Services Authority approved the agency’s application for a triage-to-alternate-destination policy. Three facilities are now contracted to serve as receiving sites for mental health and substance use disorder patients, including those on involuntary holds per the provisions of Senate Bill 43. The facilities include […]
Critical Deadline Approaches on Ambulance Patient Offload Times
On Sept. 1, hospitals must submit an ambulance patient offload time (APOT) reduction protocol under Assembly Bill 40. This bill requires hospitals to include mechanisms that will improve internal operations and reduce APOT. The standard is 30 minutes, 90% of the time for general acute care hospitals with emergency departments.
Sacramento County APOT Improvement Planning Begins
Who What On June 26, SCEMSA convened 18 hospital and fire department leaders to tackle a systemic ambulance patient offload time (APOT) improvement process. Dale Ainsworth, PhD, a respected facilitator, was brought in to guide the process. The intent was to help hospitals exchange best practices and to inform the development of plans for expediting […]
Addressing Inmate Emergency Department Transport Protocols
Who What At a meeting convened by Hospital Council on March 20, SFD shared concerns about communication and protocols on when the county jail uses emergency medical services (EMS) providers to transport inmates to community hospitals. In 2023, SFD transported over 660 inmates to hospitals, though hospital staff determined many did not need hospital-level care. […]
APOT Time Discussions Continue in Sacramento Area
Who What At a public meeting on Feb. 8, the Sacramento County health officer committed the county to not pursuing financial penalties on hospitals for missing ambulance patient offload time (APOT) targets. This is to ensure a collaborative approach to APOT improvement. The county hosted an APOT summit on Feb. 13 designed to unite hospital […]
Contra Costa Fire Protection District to Implement New APOT Policy in March
Who What The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and its ambulance subcontractor, AMR, plan to implement a new ambulance patient offload time (APOT) policy in March. Under the new policy, ambulance personnel who have been waiting for 60 minutes to transfer patients in need of hospital emergency department (ED) services may “immediately mov[e] the […]
Contra Costa County Meeting Discusses Ambulance Patient Offload Times
Who What Hospital Council convened hospital leaders, Contra Costa EMS, and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District for our quarterly meeting on ambulance patient offload times (APOT). Sutter Delta Medical Center and Contra Costa Regional Medical Center shared recent operational changes they made to achieve a reduction in their APOT by 30 minutes, for […]
Sacramento County Board Hearing Discusses Ambulance Patient Offload Times
Who What On Nov. 7, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors held a 90-minute informational hearing on ambulance patient offload times (APOT) and EMS innovation. The hearing revealed that the Sacramento area has some of the highest average offload times statewide, but APOT is improving. Attendees included other fire chiefs, Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 […]
As APOT Issues Linger, Steps Are Being Taken to Address the Problem
Ambulance patient offload times (APOT) — a longstanding issue that has been exacerbated by COVID-19 — remain problematic in many parts of our region. While the APOT issues are ultimately realized inside the hospital, a significant number of the factors causing APOT delays occur outside the hospital. These include:
Meetings Resume to Discuss Contra Costa County Ambulance Patient Offload Times
Who Contra Costa County hospitals Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Hospital Council What Hospital Council has resumed regular meetings with Contra Costa County hospitals, County Emergency Medical Services, and the County Fire Protection District regarding ambulance patient offload times (APOT). At the first meeting since the pandemic, hospital […]