2019 AMBY Award Winners Announced

The American Ambulance Association is proud to announce the recipients of the 2019 AMBY Awards. The AMBYs highlight excellence in EMS and the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that epitomize  mobile healthcare. The mission of the awards is to showcase creativity and innovation in the ambulance industry by fostering a culture of collaboration, cooperation, and...

Ambulance Industry Journal Archives

Calling all mobile healthcare history buffs! In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the American Ambulance Association, check out the archives of the Ambulance Industry Journal, the association's magazine in the 1990s-2000s. You might just see some familiar faces in action! Dropbox link to archives: https://ems.zone/aijarchives

2019 AAA Award Winners Announced

The American Ambulance Association is proud to announce this year’s award winners. Awards will be presented at the AAA Annual Conference & Trade Show Membership Meeting on Tuesday, November 5, 2019. Please join us in congratulating this year’s winners! J. Walter Schaefer Award Dr. John Becknell The J. Walter Schaefer Award is given annually to an individual whose work in EMS...

Non-Emergency Transport: Avoiding the Fraud Trap [Sponsored]

By Eric van Doesburg, MP Cloud Technologies This sponsored post is not endorsed by the American Ambulance Association. It reflects the views of the author. Did you know that one of the most common practices in our industry could put your company at financial risk? Transporting patients not qualified for ambulance transportation is a hot topic...

Submit Photos for the AAA's 40th Anniversary!

Help the AAA celebrate its 40th anniversary! If you have photos or other items from the past 40 years you would like to share to be part of our anniversary collage featured at this year's Annual Conference & Tradeshow, please fill out the form below. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, October 9th. [gravityform id="84" title="true"...

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Final Overtime Rule

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Final Overtime Rule The U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) issued the final FLSA overtime rule which will make nearly 1.3 million workers eligible for overtime pay. In the announcement published yesterday, the DOL finalized the first updates to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in fifteen years. This ends...

Submit Comments on Ambulance Data Collection System

Yesterday, the AAA submitted our comment letter to the proposed rule on changes for FY2020 to the Medicare ambulance fee schedule. The comment letter focused on the section of the proposed rule on the ambulance data collection system. For a copy of the detailed 28-page comment letter, please click here. Read the AAA...

Rest in Peace, Bryan Fass of The Fit Responder

Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and colleagues of Bryan Fass of The Fit Responder. View this JEMS article for a biography of Bryan as well as the details for his memorial service.

2019 AAA Election—Floor Nominations

To All AAA Members, In accordance with the AAA Bylaws, floor nominations for the Board, Ethics and Honorary Membership positions for the 2019 election will be accepted by the AAA board prior to their approval of the slate of candidates. If you are interested in a position or nominating another member, but have not filled...

ET3 Application Window Extended to October 5

CMS has announced an extension of the ET3 application process to October 5, 2019 at 11:59 PM ET. Read more at https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/et3.

CMS Announces Extension of Prior Authorization Program

On September 16, 2019, CMS published a notice in the Federal Register that it would be extending the prior authorization demonstration project for another year. The extension is limited to those states where prior authorization was in effect for calendar year 2019. The affected states are Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South...

Spotlight: Eric Chase, Pafford EMS

Eric Chase Paramedic & Field Training Officer Pafford EMS Bethany, Oklahoma Other Titles & Roles Member, American Ambulance Association Education Committee Tell us a little about yourself. I grew up in Warren, PA. I had three brothers and we were all very active in sports, theater and community activities. We had family vacations that allowed us to explore the history and...

Financial Hardship Policies: Steps for Your Protection [Sponsored]

By Eric van Doesburg, MP Cloud Technologies In an industry whose sole focus is to help those in need, it’s natural for us to want to assist patients financially when they’re in hardship situations. Waiving deductibles and copays for patients that have either claimed poverty, or simply for bills that seem too small to make a...

Spotlight: Desiree Partain, Medstar Mobile Healthcare

Desiree Partain Mobile Integrated Healthcare Manager Medstar Mobile Healthcare Fort Worth, Texas Other Titles & Roles MIH Manager at Large, IBSC, NAEMT member Tell us a little about yourself. Born and raised in sunny San Diego, California. I have a military ( marine grandfather and navy grandfather, brother, and nephew) and first responder (law enforcement mother) family background. Days were spent...

Preliminary Calculation of 2020 Ambulance Inflation Update

Section 1834(l)(3)(B) of the Social Security Act mandates that the Medicare Ambulance Fee Schedule be updated each year to reflect inflation. This update is referred to as the “Ambulance Inflation Factor” or “AIF”. The AIF is calculated by measuring the increase in the consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) for the 12-month period...