60% of 911 Calls Are Low Acuity: What EMS Agencies Can Do Next

EMS agencies are being asked to do more with the same—or fewer—resources. 

Call volumes continue to rise. Patient needs are becoming more complex. Staffing challenges remain a persistent concern. Yet one of the most important insights emerging from national EMS data isn’t just about volume. It’s about the type of calls coming in. 

According to the ImageTrend 2026 EMS Insights Report, nearly 60% of EMS responses are classified as low acuity. These are patients who still need care, but not necessarily an emergency response or transport to the emergency department.  

This raises an important question: if most calls don’t require emergency-level intervention, is the current system designed to meet those patients’ needs in the most effective way? 

What are Low-Acuity 911 Calls? 

Low-acuity 911 calls involve patients who require assistance but may not need emergency department care, lights-and-sirens transport, or other high-resource interventions. 

These calls can include: 

• Chronic disease management concerns
• Medication-related issues
• Behavioral health needs
• Frequent falls
• Wellness checks
• Non-emergent medical complaints

While these situations may not be life-threatening, they still require attention. For many patients, especially those facing barriers to care, EMS becomes the most accessible entry point into the healthcare system. 

The challenge isn’t that these patients don’t need help. It’s that they often need a different type of help than the traditional EMS response model was designed to provide. 

Why EMS Agencies are Seeing More Non-Emergent Calls 

It’s easy to look at low-acuity call volume and assume misuse of 911. In reality, the data often points to broader healthcare access challenges. 

Patients may call EMS because: 

• Primary care appointments aren’t available  
• Transportation barriers limit access to care  
• Behavioral health resources are difficult to access  
• Chronic conditions have worsened without intervention  
• Rural communities have limited healthcare options  

For many individuals, 911 becomes the most reliable path to receiving care. 

EMS agencies increasingly serve as the healthcare safety net, filling gaps that exist elsewhere in the system. This challenge is especially visible in rural communities, where workforce shortages, hospital closures, and limited healthcare infrastructure continue to strain access to care. Recent federal initiatives, including the Rural Health Transformation Program, reflect growing recognition that new approaches are needed to address these gaps. 

How Low-Acuity Calls Impact EMS Operations and Workforce Capacity 

Responding to a high volume of low-acuity calls has real consequences for EMS systems. 

When resources are repeatedly dispatched to non-emergent incidents: 

• Units spend more time unavailable for critical calls  
• Response times can increase  
• Workforce fatigue and burnout worsen  
• Agencies struggle to allocate resources efficiently  
• Operational costs continue to rise  

Over time, this creates a cycle that becomes increasingly difficult to break. More importantly, it can prevent agencies from focusing resources where they are needed most. The issue isn’t that low-acuity patients don’t deserve care. The issue is that emergency response isn’t always the most effective or sustainable way to deliver it. 

Why Community Paramedicine and Mobile Integrated Healthcare Programs Matter 

For many EMS leaders, the conversation is shifting from “How do we respond faster?” to “How do we respond differently?” 

Community Paramedicine and Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) programs are helping agencies answer that question. Rather than waiting for a patient to call 911 repeatedly, these programs proactively engage individuals before situations escalate into emergencies. 

Common interventions include: 

• Chronic disease follow-up  
• Medication management  
• Post-discharge visits  
• Behavioral health support  
• Fall prevention programs  
• Frequent caller outreach  

These programs help reduce unnecessary transport, while improving patient outcomes and connecting individuals to appropriate long-term resources. 

The results can be significant. 

For example, Sacramento Fire’s Community Health Program found that approximately 70% of patients identified as appropriate for field-based intervention were successfully treated in place rather than transported to the emergency department.  

Similarly, agencies such as Clayton County have leveraged community health programs to improve patient outcomes while reducing strain on emergency resources. Patients enrolled in its 4C program reduced their 911 usage by 50% or more, while the department recorded 500 fewer ambulance transports in 2024 compared to the previous year. 

These programs represent a fundamental shift in how EMS organizations think about care delivery—not just responding to emergencies, but helping prevent them. 

The Growing Push for Standardized Community Health Data and Reimbursement 

While community health programs continue to gain momentum, one challenge remains consistent: reimbursement. 

Many agencies recognize the value of proactive care models but struggle to demonstrate outcomes in a way that supports sustainable funding. As reimbursement models evolve, standardized documentation and data collection will become increasingly important. 

Agencies need the ability to: 

• Measure program effectiveness  
• Demonstrate value to healthcare partners  
• Support grant applications and funding opportunities  
• Prepare for future reimbursement pathways  

The push toward standardized MIH and community health data reflects a broader industry trend: proving that proactive interventions can improve outcomes while reducing costs across the healthcare system. 

Using EMS Data to Identify Frequent Callers and Community Health Needs 

The good news is that most agencies already possess the data needed to identify opportunities for intervention. 

Modern EMS data can help agencies uncover: 

• Frequent callers  
• Geographic hotspots  
• Repeat patient patterns  
• Behavioral health trends  
• Chronic disease concerns  
• Social and community factors impacting utilization  

When these patterns become visible, agencies can move from reactive response to proactive intervention. 

Instead of responding to the same situation repeatedly, they can identify root causes, coordinate with community partners, and connect patients to appropriate resources before another 911 call occurs. 

This is where technology plays an important role. Tools such as ImageTrend’s Elite ePCR platform and Community Health solution help agencies capture, analyze, and act on the information needed to support these programs at scale.  

Data alone doesn’t solve the problem, but it can help agencies understand where to focus their efforts and measure whether those efforts are working. 

The Future of EMS Is Proactive, Not Just Reactive 

Low-acuity calls aren’t going away. In fact, they may represent one of the greatest opportunities for EMS innovation over the next decade. 

The agencies making the biggest impact won’t simply be the ones that respond faster. They’ll be the organizations that use data to understand community needs, identify trends, and develop proactive care strategies that improve outcomes before emergencies occur. 

This isn’t about reducing demand. It’s about responding differently, because the question isn’t whether these patients need help. It’s whether the current system is designed to help them in the right way. 

If you’re exploring ways to better understand low-acuity demand, identify repeat callers, or build a proactive community health strategy, speak with an ImageTrend expert to learn how connected EMS data can support better operational decisions and patient outcomes. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Low-Acuity 911 Calls 

How do low-acuity calls impact EMS agencies?

High volumes of low-acuity calls can stretch resources, increase response times for critical incidents, and contribute to workforce fatigue and burnout. Over time, this makes it harder for agencies to allocate resources where they are needed most. 

How can EMS agencies better respond to low-acuity demand?

Many agencies are expanding Community Paramedicine and Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) programs. These approaches focus on proactive, patient-centered care such as follow-up visits, chronic disease management, and connecting patients to appropriate community resources. 

What role does data play in managing low-acuity calls?

EMS data helps agencies identify frequent callers, geographic trends, and underlying health or social factors driving demand. With better visibility, agencies can shift from reactive response to targeted, preventative interventions.