What to Prepare Before a Hospital-to-Hospital Ambulance Transfer

Hospital-to-hospital transfers — moving a patient for a second opinion, specialised treatment, or an insurance network reason — involve two medical teams instead of one, which means a bit more coordination than a straightforward pickup. Here’s what actually needs sorting out before the ambulance arrives.

Confirm the receiving hospital is ready first

Before arranging the ambulance itself, make sure the receiving hospital has actually agreed to accept the patient — ideally with a specific department or doctor identified. Turning up at a hospital that isn’t expecting the patient is the single most common source of delay in these transfers, and it’s entirely avoidable with one phone call ahead of time.

Gather the paperwork that travels with the patient

• Discharge summary or referral note from the current hospital
• Recent test results or scans relevant to the transfer reason
• Current medication list
• ID and any insurance documentation, if relevant to the receiving hospital

Ask the current treating team for these directly — most hospitals can prepare a transfer summary quickly once you tell them a transfer is happening.

Decide on the right vehicle type

Not every hospital-to-hospital transfer needs the same level of support. A stable patient moving for a scheduled procedure may only need a BLS ambulance, while a critical patient may need ICU-level transport. If you’re not sure, describe the patient’s condition to our coordinator and we can help work through it — see our patient transfer ambulance page for more on how this is typically arranged.

Plan for who travels and who stays in contact

Decide in advance whether a family member will accompany the patient, and make sure whoever stays behind has a way to reach both the ambulance crew and the receiving hospital. If the transfer happens during a shift change at either hospital, a direct contact number saves a lot of back-and-forth.

Confirm timing on both ends

Where possible, agree on a rough pickup time with the current hospital and a rough arrival window with the receiving one. This isn’t always possible for urgent transfers, but for planned ones it makes a real difference — the receiving team can have a bed and staff ready instead of scrambling when the ambulance arrives.

Call ahead of time, not at the last minute

If the transfer is planned rather than urgent, calling 9951244266 a day or more in advance gives everyone — the current hospital, the receiving hospital, and our coordinator — time to align. If it’s urgent, call anyway; we’ll work with whatever timeline you’re given.