Sacramento Hospitals Reduce APOT, Push for Further Reduction
Who Sacramento area hospitals, fire departments, and private emergency medical services providers Sacramento County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SCEMSA) 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 remarkable 29 minutes in […]
AI and APOT: Two Complex Issues Worthy of Ongoing Conversation
The 2024 Hospital Quality Institute and Hospital Council Annual Conference in Lake Tahoe has come to a close. On Oct. 20-21, hospital and health care system leaders gathered to learn about a variety of topics — including how open and transparent communication is valued and actively encouraged, and how to effectively engage executives and board members in working toward zero harm. Also discussed were the not-yet-finalized California Hospital Association (CHA) regulatory and legislative agenda, which Hospital Council fully supports, and two significant issues worth emphasizing: artificial intelligence (AI) and ambulance patient offload times (APOTs).
Hospitals Reduce APOT in Sacramento Area
Who Sacramento area hospitals Sacramento County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SCEMSA) Sacramento area fire departments and private emergency medical services providers What On Oct. 10, SCEMSA held the second Ambulance Patient Offload Time (APOT) Summit of 2024, celebrating significant progress in reducing APOT in Sacramento. At the first event, held in February, SCEMSA focused on […]
Nursing Education Needs Are a Critical Concern
Who Hospitals in the Northern Sierra section What In their ongoing efforts to identify increasingly prevalent workforce challenges, hospitals across the Northern Sierra section have determined there is a critical need for licensed vocational nurse (LVN) to registered nurse (RN) education. In addition, new RN staffing ratios for skilled-nursing facilities are on the horizon, meaning […]
Alternate Destination Strategy Approved in Sacramento
Who Sacramento County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SCEMSA) Behavioral health facilities in Sacramento County 911/Emergency medical service providers in the SCEMSA territory 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 […]
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 Sacramento County Emergency Services Agency (SCEMSA) staff Hospital executives and emergency department directors in the SCEMSA service area Senior fire department leaders in the SCEMSA service area 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 […]