Impact of an Emergency Department Closure on the Local Emergency Medical Services System

On July 12, 2010, Boston Medical Center (BMC), the busiest emergency department (ED) in Massachusetts, with more than 100,000 adult patient visits per year, consolidated its two fully functional EDs into one. In preparation for this consolidation, BMC implemented systems changes to mitigate potential negative effects on both BMC and emergency medical services (EMS) providers, including Boston Emergency Medical Services (Boston EMS), the provider...