MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — A new report from the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration provides EMS agencies with benchmarks for evaluating performance beyond ambulance response times.
The 2026 AIMHI High-Performance/High-Value EMS Benchmark Survey examines the organizational, operational, clinical, workforce and financial performance of 10 AIMHI member agencies.
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The 10 agencies that participated are:
- EMSA East
- EMSA West
- Medic Ambulance of Scott County
- Mecklenburg EMS Agency (MEDIC)
- Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services
- Northwell Center for Emergency Medical Services
- Novant Health Mobile Health
- REMSA Health
- Richmond Ambulance Authority
- Three Rivers Ambulance Authority
Collectively, the participating agencies serve 11.2 million residents across more than 12,000 square miles. They employ more than 2,800 credentialed EMS clinicians, operate 596 response vehicles and handle 790,392 responses and 479,990 patient transports annually, according to the report.
The findings show how participating systems are adjusting deployment to match resources with patient needs. All 10 use tiered deployment with both BLS and ALS ambulances, while 37.3% of responses receive a lights-and-siren response and 41% receive a first-response unit.
The report also found that 90% of respondents hold at least one accreditation, half participate in clinical research and 80% use an outside agency to measure patient experience. Four of the agencies reported operating prehospital blood administration programs.
Staffing remains a challenge. Participating agencies reported a 12.8% field clinician vacancy rate, although 60% said their applicant flow had remained stable or increased.
Financial data showed a median expense of approximately $639 per transport, compared with about $523 in patient service revenue per transport. Medicare and Medicaid patients accounted for 64.4% of the agencies’ payer mix.
Commercially insured patients made up 18.1% of patients but generated 35.3% of patient service revenue, according to the report. By comparison, Medicaid fee-for-service patients represented 12.5% of patient volume and 5.3% of revenue.
AIMHI said the report is intended to help EMS leaders, policymakers, medical directors and community officials compare system performance and guide planning and investment decisions.
Beyond response times, which measures should your agency prioritize when defining high-performance EMS, and why?
