What Premier Ambulance does

Premier Ambulance, Inc. is a privately held, for-profit Emergency Medical Services provider founded in 2008 and headquartered in Brea, California. The company delivers contracted ambulance transportation services to healthcare partners across five Southern California counties (Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura, and Riverside), operating under the "Premier Ambulance" brand in four counties and the "Primary Ambulance" brand in Riverside County, where it serves as the county's primary ambulance provider. Its service portfolio spans four tiers: Basic Life Support (BLS) staffed by two EMTs; Advanced Life Support (ALS) staffed by paramedics with expanded scope of practice; Critical Care Transport / Specialty Care Transport (CCT/SCT) staffed by RNs and Respiratory Care Practitioners for ventilator, balloon pump, and LVAD patients; and event standby coverage. Operations are coordinated through a 24-hour communications center utilizing what the company describes as top-of-line dispatch software.

The business model is B2B and transaction-based: services are requested by facility staff at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and health plans through a 24/7 dispatch center, with billing routed through insurance (including Medicare), healthcare facilities, and individual patients. Premier does not publish pricing; rates are negotiated per contract and reflect service tier (BLS, ALS, CCT), distance, and medical necessity. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with contracted relationships forming the core commercial channel. The customer base includes unnamed "several" hospital systems, skilled nursing facilities, health plans, and a confirmed dedicated on-site operations presence at UCI Medical Center.

The company is founder/owner-operated (President Paul Scarborough) with no disclosed external institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity. It employs 101-250 people, is CAAS-accredited (a designation held by less than 2% of U.S. ambulance providers, achieved in 2023), and has management with over 300 combined years of ambulance and medical operations experience. Notable recent strategic activity includes the March 2024 opening of a San Diego County Division and ongoing expansion of clinical and operations hiring across the region.

Name

Premier Ambulance

Legal name

Premier Ambulance, Inc.

Website

https://premieramb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Premier Ambulance is a privately held Emergency Medical Services provider delivering BLS, ALS, and Critical Care Transport ambulance services to hospital systems, skilled nursing facilities, and health plans across five Southern California counties, with Primary Ambulance status in Riverside County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Services / Ambulance Transportation

NAICS

Ambulance Services (621910)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Private EMS Providers (Contract/Interfacility) (HLAFANAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Critical Care Transport (CCT) & Specialty Transport Teams (HLAFANAE), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operations & Dispatch (HLAJAGAC)

Keywords

• Ambulance transportation services
• Emergency medical services
• Advanced life support transport
• Critical care transport
• Medical transportation provider

Headquarters

HQ city

Brea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Emergency Ambulance Services: Emergency 911-style response services and emergency transports to hospitals, billed through insurance or healthcare facilities
2. Non-Emergency Medical Transportation: Scheduled ambulance transports between healthcare facilities including hospital discharges, interfacility transfers, psychiatric discharges, dialysis transport, and doctor's office visits
3. Critical Care Transport (CCT/SCT): Specialty Care Transport services with RN and Respiratory Therapist staffing for high-acuity patients requiring ventilator support, balloon pumps, LVAD, and other advanced interventions
4. Special Event Stand-By Services: On-site ambulance coverage for venues and events, providing immediate medical support for participants and spectators at sporting events, video/movie shoots, and business functions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Premier Ambulance provides contracted emergency and non-emergency medical transportation services in Southern California through three core tiers — Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), and Critical Care/Specialty Care Transport (CCT/SCT) — delivered by EMTs, paramedics, RNs, and respiratory therapists. Services are dispatched 24/7 from a communications center and include hospital discharges, interfacility transfers, dialysis transport, psychiatric discharges, and special-event stand-by coverage. The company also operates in-house billing services and runs the "Primary Ambulance" brand in Riverside County.

Product overview

Premier Ambulance is an Emergency Medical Services provider offering a unified suite of ambulance transportation services. The core portfolio consists of Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), and Critical Care Transport (CCT/Specialty Care Transport) services, supplemented by Event Stand-By coverage and a 24-hour Communications Center for dispatch coordination. The company operates under the 'Premier Ambulance' brand in Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties, and under the 'Primary Ambulance' brand in Riverside County and Ventura County. Services are delivered by EMTs, Paramedics, Registered Nurses, and Respiratory Therapists using state-of-the-art medical equipment and gurneys.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Advanced Life Support (ALS)
• Critical Care Transport (CCT) / Specialty Care Transport (SCT)
• Stand-By / Special Events Ambulance Service
• Primary Ambulance (Riverside County operations)

Quantifiable outcome

• Hospital staff can request ALS level of service ensuring timely response and excellent customer service to patients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mercy Air 4coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Collaborative training partnership between Premier Ambulance and Mercy Air 4 helicopter services. Multiple joint training sessions conducted (June 2023, July 2024) involving employees and trainees learning about helicopter medical operations, medical kit usage, and air-ground coordination for comprehensive emergency response.
• Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS)coreOthersCAAS provides independent accreditation establishing comprehensive standards for ambulance services. Premier Ambulance achieved this 'gold standard' accreditation, placing them in the less than 2% of ambulance providers nationwide to hold this distinction.
• Healthcare Provider PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier Ambulance is partnered and contracted with several hospital systems, skilled nursing facilities, health plans, and other healthcare organizations. These partnerships are the core business model, providing emergency and non-emergency ambulance transportation services tailored to each healthcare partner's specific needs.
• EMSA (Emergency Medical Services Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperating under local Emergency Medical Services Agency policies and guidelines for transport. Services comply with county EMS requirements across Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura, and Riverside Counties.
• Insurance CompaniesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBilling specialists work directly with insurance companies to process claims in a timely manner. Services covered under medically necessary requirements for Medicare and other insurance plans.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Medical Response (AMR): AMR is the largest private ambulance and EMS provider in the United States, operating across nearly all 50 states. It directly overlaps with Premier's BLS, ALS, and 911/contract services and serves the same hospital and health-plan customers, but at vastly greater scale and with a national rather than regional footprint.
• Falck USA: Falck is a global EMS and ambulance provider with US operations across several states, including California. It offers 911, interfacility, and CCT services and competes with Premier for healthcare system and municipal contracts at a larger scale and with international backing.

Direct peers

• Care Ambulance Service: Care Ambulance is a Southern California-based private EMS provider offering BLS, ALS, CCT, and event standby services in Orange, LA, and surrounding counties. It competes head-to-head with Premier for hospital, skilled nursing facility, and event customers in the same geography and service tiers.
• Schaefer Ambulance Service: Schaefer Ambulance is a Los Angeles-based private EMS provider with a comparable BLS/ALS/CCT service mix and similar focus on contracted hospital and event business. It competes directly with Premier in the LA County market for healthcare system contracts and event standby work.
• Lifeline Ambulance Service: Lifeline Ambulance is a privately-held California EMS provider offering BLS, ALS, and critical care transport to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and managed care plans. It is a closely comparable regional private EMS operator competing for the same B2B customer base.
• Royal Ambulance: Royal Ambulance is a California-based private EMS and medical transport company offering BLS, ALS, CCT, and specialized behavioral health transport to hospitals, SNFs, and managed care organizations. It is a direct comparable in service mix and customer segments.
• PRN Ambulance: PRN Ambulance is a Southern California-based private EMS provider offering BLS, ALS, and critical care transport to hospitals, nursing homes, and healthcare organizations. It is a direct head-to-head competitor for similar B2B contracts in the Greater LA/Orange County region.

Regional players

• Medic Ambulance Service: Medic Ambulance is a California private ambulance operator (Northern California/Sacramento area focus) offering BLS, ALS, and CCT services to hospitals and health systems. It is comparable in service mix to Premier but operates in a different region of California, so direct overlap is limited.
• Rideout Ambulance: Rideout Ambulance is a Northern California private EMS provider attached to a health system offering 911 and interfacility transport services. Comparable in service offering but located outside Premier's Southern California footprint.
• Empress EMS: Empress EMS is a privately-held New York-based ambulance and medical transport company offering BLS, ALS, CCT, and event standby. It is comparable in service mix and private-company status to Premier but operates on the East Coast with no geographic overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Premieramb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/premier-ambulance

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Premier Ambulance