Indiana ends routine ambulance diversions starting in September, shifting hospital and EMS operations

Indiana state health officials and emergency healthcare partners announced they will discontinue routine hospital diversion — the practice of sending ambulances to other facilities when emergency departments are crowded. The department’s Aug. 31, 2026 news release said Indiana will become only the third state to end routine diversion and that the tactic will be restricted to disaster situations and critical infrastructure failures starting in September 2026.

The decision was reached through a collaboration including the Indiana Department of Health, the Indiana Hospital Association and multiple EMS and emergency clinician groups. The release cites research tying diversion to longer transport times, EMS shortages and disrupted continuity of care. Officials said partners will keep working together to create patient-centered responses to emergency department crowding.

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