Ambulance Patient Offload Time

Ambulance patient offload times — how long it takes for a patient arriving at a hospital via ambulance to be transferred to an emergency department — are a challenge in many counties in California. Some factors contributing to longer offload times include the physical layout of a hospital, current unprecedented patient volume, increased acuity of patients’ illness or injury, and more. Challenges in the Emergency Department only continue to grow, further straining limited emergency services, and forcing us all to think about how to adapt to a changing world.

To address this issue and best serve patients, hospitals partner with their local emergency medical services agencies (LEMSAs), as well as the state regulator, the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) to create innovative solutions to the APOT challenge.

APOT Reduction Protocol

Assembly Bill (AB) 40 Implementation

In 2023, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 40, requiring hospitals to submit APOT reduction protocols by September 1, 2024. CHA has developed a checklist to help members meet this requirement.

Download the checklist