Nurse Triage Services in California
California is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so triage for California patients requires a California license. PCTS RNs hold CA licenses and cover practices in California after hours and during the day.
Two decades of nurse triage for California practices
California is where PCTS started. Founded as Pacific Coast Triage Services and based in Encinitas, PCTS has provided nurse triage to California physician practices, medical groups and IPAs for more than two decades.
California is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate license does not authorize triage for patients located in California. Every call from a California patient must go to an RN who holds a California license — the most common gap when practices compare national triage vendors.
Patient privacy in California is also governed by the state's Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), which adds state requirements on top of HIPAA. PCTS is SOC 2 Type II audited and HIPAA compliant.
How PCTS covers your California patients
Your answering service stays
It remains the entry point and routes the clinical calls to our nurses.
Licensed RNs, fast callbacks
CA-licensed nurses call back in about 2–3 minutes on average.
Your protocols
Schmitt-Thompson protocols aligned to your standing orders and escalation criteria.
Pay per call
You pay for calls handled, never for idle nurse time.
Nurse triage in California: common questions
Is California in the Nurse Licensure Compact?
No. California is not a Nurse Licensure Compact jurisdiction, so a multistate license does not authorize nursing practice there. A California license is required.
Do PCTS nurses hold CA licenses?
Yes. Calls from patients located in California go to PCTS RNs licensed in California. PCTS nurses are licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
What about our patients in neighboring states?
Oregon and Nevada are also outside the compact; Arizona is a compact state. PCTS routes every call to a nurse licensed where the patient is located, so patients on either side of the border are covered by the same service.
What does nurse triage cost for a California practice?
With PCTS, $23–$27 per call for most California practices. You pay per call handled, so you are not paying nurses to wait through quiet hours.
Is PCTS the same company as Pacific Coast Triage Services?
Yes. PCTS was founded as Pacific Coast Triage Services in California. The company now serves practices nationwide under the name PCTS, at pcts.health.
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