APOT measures the time between an ambulance’s arrival at a hospital and the transfer of patient care to emergency department staff. Shorter offload times allow EMS crews and ambulances to return to service sooner, helping maintain emergency response capacity across the District.   

Since 2023, the DC Health EMS Program has analyzed APOT performance and provides weekly reports to hospitals, supporting ongoing monitoring and collaboration to identify and address periods of elevated offload time.  District-wide 90th percentile Ambulance Patient Offload Time (APOT) decreased from 121 minutes in January 2023 to 57 minutes in July 2026, a 53% reduction. The improvement brings District-wide APOT below the 60-minute benchmark and represents significant progress toward the 30-minute goal.  While the 30-minute goal has not yet been reached, the sustained reduction since 2023 demonstrates clear, measurable improvement.