INDIANAPOLIS — Ambulance crews across Indiana will no longer be rerouted solely because a hospital emergency department is overcrowded, under a statewide change that took effect in September.
Diversions will now be limited to disasters or critical infrastructure failures, such as flooding or an electronic medical records outage. Indiana is the third state to end routine ambulance diversions, state health officials told WTHR.
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The Indiana Department of Health said the practice was intended to ease emergency department overcrowding but created unintended consequences for patient care.
Beginning in September, hospitals will be allowed to divert ambulances only during disasters or critical infrastructure failures, according to state officials.
“Unfortunately, we saw a significant increase in crowd-based emergency services diversion during the pandemic. Since that time, partners have been working diligently to get to today,” Indiana State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver said. “The hospitals report that overcrowding remains a concern, but all partners recognize the importance of getting patients to the right care, at the right place and at the right time.”
The decision was developed collaboratively by the following associations:
- Indiana Department of Health
- Indiana Chapter of the National Association of EMS Physicians
- Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana EMS Commission
- Indiana Hospital Association, Indiana Fire Chiefs Association
- Indiana Emergency Nurses Association
- Indiana Emergency Medical Services Association
- Indiana Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Weaver said hospital diversion is a short-term response to emergency department overcrowding that can delay patient care and keep ambulances away from their service areas longer. She said hospitals must address overcrowding without relying on EMS diversion.
How has hospital diversion affected your EMS system? Do you think ending routine diversions will improve patient care and ambulance availability, or create new challenges for crews?
