Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Nurse Triage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
FEMS and hospitals are piloting nurse triage and CAD improvements to reduce ambulance offload delays
Summary
Chief Donnelly said the nurse triage line diverted 2,600 calls last year and FEMS is working with DC Health and hospital ED leaders to reduce ambulance patient offload times, including a dashboard for real‑time monitoring and CAD‑to‑CAD integration with regional dispatch systems.
Chief John Donnelly described the nurse triage line as a tool that diverted 2,600 calls in FY25 to clinics, telehealth, and self care, and told the committee the department is focused on expanding telehealth and video capabilities in call centers to improve early triage. "If it goes to the nurse triage line, it is transferred to a nurse...that nurse then asks another series of questions and figures out what the best thing to do for that patient is," he said.
Assistant Chief Andre Edwards and Donnelly described ongoing biweekly coordination with DC Health and hospital emergency departments that has produced modest reductions in ambulance patient offload time (APLT). Donnelly and Edwards outlined a dashboard at hospitals and OUC that flags long waits and triggers notifications so hospital leadership and DC Health can act to improve throughput. Committee members pressed how many calls could realistically be diverted and sought follow‑up data to compare eligible calls versus actual uptake.
