Utilization and impact of ambulance diversion at the community level.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the utilization and impact of ambulance diversion in the metropolitan area of Syracuse, New York.


METHODS
This was a retrospective review of the ambulance diversion system operated by the hospitals of Syracuse, New York. This system allows each emergency department to divert incoming ambulances during periods of extreme overcrowding. Data collected included numbers of hours on ambulance diversion by hospital, numbers of hours when all four hospitals were on diversion simultaneously, and numbers of ambulances received while the hospitals were on and off diversion.


RESULTS
For three of the five years evaluated, ambulance diversion hours were most numerous during the period between January and March. For the most recent year studied (2000), ambulance diversion hours did not decline after the first quarter. During periods of diversion, hospital emergency departments received 30%-50% fewer ambulances than they did while open.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that, in Syracuse, New York, ambulance diversion was once a seasonal phenomenon, but is increasingly occurring throughout the year because of staff and resource limitations. It also demonstrated that ambulance diversion can be employed to reduce numbers of incoming transports.
Lagoe
Ronald J
RJ
Hospital Executive Council, Syracuse, New York 13210, USA. hospexcl@dreamscape.com
Hunt
Richard C
RC
Nadle
Patricia A
PA
Kohlbrenner
Janis C
JC
D000552:Ambulances / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018672:Community Health Planning; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review