The Statewide Transfer Escalation Pathway (STEP) is a voluntary, free 24/7 service operated by the AZ REACH team. It coordinates acute care transfers out of Arizona hospitals with 20 or fewer inpatient beds. No prior placement attempts are required.

Call AZ REACH 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (602) 827-2093. For leadership, email azreach@blackboxhs.com.

STEP has been active Oct. 1, 2023 – Sept. 30, 2024 and Oct. 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026, and is active again Oct. 19, 2026 – June 30, 2027 (as listed on the Reporting Hub, October 2026).

AZ REACH is the umbrella service under which STEP operates, and both work the same way. Both are voluntary, and neither requires prior placement attempts. Call (602) 827-2093 any time, 24/7. AZ REACH serves Arizona's IHS, PL 93-638 and critical access hospitals. STEP serves Arizona hospitals with 20 or fewer inpatient beds.

With a single phone call, your patient's placement becomes our priority. Using our technology and extensive database, we free your staff from placement and follow-up calls so they can focus on patient care.

Arizona hospitals that operate with 20 or fewer inpatient beds.

Funding from the Arizona Legislature expanded eligibility to Arizona hospitals with 20 or fewer inpatient beds. Invitations were sent based on ADHS hospital licensing records; hospitals eligible to use 911 during medical emergencies were excluded. If you believe your hospital qualifies but has not been contacted, email azreach@blackboxhs.com.

Any time an eligible hospital needs to transfer a patient for acute medical care. Call (602) 827-2093, 24/7. There is no need to try your normal transfer process first.

STEP coordinates interfacility transfers for all service line types that require acute medical care placement. It does not currently include behavioral health placement, post-acute placement or transport coordination.

The patient's treating physician determines the level of care and guides the team to the preferred destination. If there is no preference, the team starts with the closest available facility with the required service capability.

STEP asks the referring provider whether they have a preferred receiving organization; insurance may be one of their deciding factors. STEP cannot verify insurance coverage before contacting a receiving facility. If there is no preference, STEP contacts the closest available facility with the capability to meet the patient's clinical needs.

STEP attempts placement as directed by the sending facility, with up to four organizations actively coordinating placement at once.

No. STEP does not coordinate transport between facilities. Transport continues to be arranged by the referring and/or admitting hospitals.

Yes. All calls are recorded for patient safety and quality assurance.

STEP is administered by the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center (AZPDIC) at the University of Arizona, which has served Arizonans since 1980, in partnership with Blackbox Healthcare Solutions for daily operations, data analytics and reporting. The team meets regularly with a core advisory committee of participating hospitals.

Hospital-specific referral data is shared only with the originating hospital. Aggregate or regional trends may be shared with the applicable hospitals, and aggregate data is shared with public health and other agencies as agreed upon.