Understanding the Directive

According to the updated policy, as of March 12, EMS crews are now required to transport patients solely to the closest hospital, regardless of personal preference. This marks a shift from the previous guideline, which allowed patients to choose a hospital within a 10-minute drive, provided the situation wasn’t life-threatening.

The system employed by the FDNY, known as Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), assists in determining the nearest medical facility.

Reactions from Healthcare Providers

Healthcare professionals have expressed dissatisfaction with the new approach. Dr. Bret Rudy, Executive Vice President and Chief of Hospital Operations at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, criticized the policy as overly rigid, claiming it jeopardizes patient care and safety. He referenced a case involving a patient with a fractured hip who was directed to a hospital lacking the necessary orthopedic expertise.

Following this, the NYU Langone team needed to transfer the patient to a more appropriate facility for surgical intervention.

Kenneth Raske, CEO of the Greater New York Hospital Association, noted that the policy has stirred considerable concern across the healthcare sector. Reports have also surfaced regarding tense exchanges between paramedics and distressed patients over the policy changes.

Patient Experiences and Concerns

An incident highlighted by patients involved a woman from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, who requested an ambulance for her grandmother. She wanted to take her grandmother to NYU Langone-Brooklyn Hospital, appealing to the staff due to the language needs of her grandmother, who is Chinese. However, ambulance paramedics insisted on transporting her to Coney Island Hospital, leading the family to refuse the service and transport her by car instead.

FDNY’s Justification

In defense of the updated protocol, FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker emphasized that his primary responsibility is to save lives, not to cater to hospital preferences. He reflected on the new directive as a response to operational necessities, stating, “We’re not the Uber business or Lyft business to take people where they want to go.”

Tucker reported improvements in ambulance response times, citing an average response of 8 minutes and 48 seconds for life-threatening situations in the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, and asserting that the initiative is achieving its intended outcomes.