Q&A
Hospital turnaround times and ambulance protocols at emergency departments
1:11:48
·
58 sec
Council Member Carlina Rivera inquires about hospital turnaround times for ambulances, which have increased from 34 to 41 minutes on average. Chief Michael Fields explains the general protocol for ambulances arriving at hospitals, noting that procedures can vary by facility.
- Average hospital turnaround time has increased to almost 41 minutes
- Ambulance protocols upon arrival depend on the specific hospital's requirements
- Some hospitals require immediate triage, while others require patient registration first
Carlina Rivera
1:11:48
for being here for your testimony of course for your service to the city.
1:11:52
I just have a a few questions.
1:11:55
I wanna ask with I wanna start with hospital turnaround times.
1:12:00
You stated in your testimony Right now, the average hospital turnaround time has increased from 34 minutes to almost 41 minutes for a number of reasons that they're crowded, and there are hospital closures, of course, and that adds to capacity issues, and I'll get to hospital closures in a second.
1:12:21
When an ambulance arrives at a hospital that has a significant wait time for emergency department patients to be assigned a bed, what is a protocol for the ambulance?
Michael Fields
1:12:32
The ambulance itself, they they arrive at the location.
1:12:36
They go to registration.
1:12:38
Each hospital is unique.
1:12:39
So some hospital is required that you go straight to triage.
1:12:42
Others require that you register the patient.
1:12:44
They go to triage.
1:12:44
So it depends.
