When Ambulances Wait at the Emergency Department: Hospital Factors and Offload times in California

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Analyzes ambulance patient offload time (APOT) between emergency medical services (EMS) and 310 emergency departments (ED) in California in 2022 to determine associations with hospital characteristics including rurality and number of ED treatment stations. The study data precedes a 2023 state law establishing statewide standards for APOT and so aims to offer baseline metrics for understanding policy impact.

Esmeralda Melgoza, Madeline Fedmeier, Crystal Chen, Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez, Renee Y. Hsia

Health Affairs Scholar, 4(5)

05/2026

Emergency department and urgent care services · Emergency medical services · Healthcare quality · Policy · Rural-urban differences · Statistics and data · California