Authority and Application of this Chapter.

(a)

This Chapter, adopted pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 1797.120.7, applies to all general acute care hospitals (GACHs) with emergency departments that receive ambulance-transported patients, as well as local EMS agencies (LEMSAs) and emergency medical services (EMS) transport provider agencies subject to ambulance patient offload time (APOT) monitoring and reporting under Sections 1797.120.5, 1797.120.6, and 1797.120.7. The purpose of this Chapter is to establish statewide standards, protocols, and tools designed to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness of APOT within California's EMS system.

(b)

This regulation establishes requirements and procedures for the Emergency Medical Services Authority (hereinafter “EMSA”), LEMSAs, GACHs with an emergency department, and EMS transport provider agencies when standard APOT is exceeded.