The Transfer of Power and the Implications for EMS The Election is Over: Now What? Election Day 2020 has come and gone. While the matter is not completely settled in all the races around the country, it seems that we know a few things about the balance of political power in Washington, DC. Leadership in […]
Medicare Prior Authorization- Results 3 Years Later History In December 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a Medicare Prior Authorization program on a three-year trial for RSNAT- repetitive, Scheduled, non-emergency ambulance transports. The program targeted three States that statistically showed a sharp increase in these types of transports at an alarming […]
Understanding Ground Ambulance Charges- Part II Last week… Welcome back to Part II of our series “Understanding Ground Ambulance Charges! Last week we covered the basics. We defined the term charges and what it means and how it applies to the ground ambulance billing world. This week we focus on how charges are determined and […]
Medicare vs Medicaid- What’s the Difference? Interchangeable? It seems that often EMS people like to interchange the words Medicare and Medicaid. While similar in scope, the reality is these programs are two uniquely different government offerings. We thought it would be helpful to define the two programs and call attention to their similarities and differences. […]
Medicare Bonus Payments Expire- What’s Next? December 31, 2017, 2359 Hours… When the New Years ball begins its drop in New York City on December 31, 2017 at 2359 hours, so will the Medicare Fee Schedule Bonus Payments drop. Those of you who operate in urban zip codes will see 2% less, rural zip codes […]
Medicare Add-On Payments- Time is Running Out! Five Months! Five Months have passed since Senators Stabenow, Roberts, Leahy, Collins and Schumer introduced S. 967 entitled the “Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act of 2017” and yet the legislation has not passed. Companion bill H.R. 3236 also remains in limbo. What’s worse- the ambulance […]
The Payer Mix Barometer Fascination Remember those big old barometers that your father or grandfather had on his desk or hanging on the wall? It probably had the company logo of the business where he worked and was one of those milestone gifts one picks out of a catalog of “rewards” to recognize years of […]
Why is S. 967 So Important to the Ambulance Industry? Part I April 27, 2017 Certain dates in history stand out as pivotal to the course and direction of the United States of America. April 27, 2017 will almost certainly stand out as one of those dates for the American ambulance industry if Senate Bill […]
Medicare for All? Feel the Burn After two weeks of the major party political conventions, we can truthfully say we “feel the burn!” Hold on…we’re not taking political sides. Note that it’s “burn” and not “Bern” that we feel, as in “burn out.” Our presidential campaigns in the United States are far too long. After […]
Small Change- Significant Impact New Year, New Numbers With the New Year comes new changes, especially from Medicare. We’ve all become accustomed to each new calendar year ushering in changes to the Medicare fee schedule. The New Year brings new numbers with dollar signs. This year, for the first time ever those numbers carried a […]
