A method and system for delivering cardiac pacing therapy that includes sensing electrical activity of tissue of a patient from a plurality of external electrodes during delivery of a non-ambulatory pacing therapy from a pacing device and determining an optimal electromechanical (EM) response time from an optimal electrical activation determined from electrical heterogeneity information obtained during non-ambulatory pacing therapy. During delivery of subsequent ambulatory pacing, the pacing sensing an EM signal from an EM sensor of the pacing device, determines a current EM response time in response to the sensed EM signal, and adjusting a pacing parameter setting of the ambulatory pacing therapy in response to comparing the current EM response time to the optimal EM response time.