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AZ REACH passes 20,000 transfer referrals

Feb. 17, 2026

The Arizona Resource Equity and Access Coordination Hub (AZ REACH) has surpassed 20,000 patient transfer referrals since it began just over three years ago, according to the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.

Administered by the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, AZ REACH was developed in 2022 as a supplemental resource growing out of the Arizona Surge Line. It coordinates acute care transfers for Arizona's rural, Indian Health Service, tribally operated and critical access hospitals.

By the numbers

  • More than 20,000 patient transfer referrals
  • 90% of referrals transferred
  • More than 27,000 hours saved for referring hospital staff
  • Cardiology, gastroenterology, general surgery, pulmonology and neurology made up 51% of requests
  • Patients have been transferred to facilities in New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, California and Utah, as well as across Arizona

Figures as of Feb. 17, 2026.

What's next

AZ REACH is exploring behavioral health transfer coordination, stronger transportation coordination and support for outpatient referrals, and is evaluating opportunities to bring the AZ REACH model to additional regions through the Rural Health Transformation Project.

Read the full story from the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy: AZ REACH Surpasses Milestone of Transferring 20,000 Patients in Three Years.