COVID-19 employee Travel FAQ

Over the last week, we have received several questions from AAA members about various COVID-19 impacts on EMS organizations.  As the infection numbers around the country are on the rise, many new issues have arisen that are posing issues with many EMS employers. Travel Orders What can I do when our employee voluntarily chooses to...

Webinar: EMS, Stress and Cultivating Resilience

Special EMS Focus webinar on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 3 p.m. EDT /12 p.m. PDT will address the challenges and stresses of EMS work and offer practical advice for cultivating resilience Adversity and stress are unavoidable aspects of serving as EMS clinicians, thanks to the challenges of everyday EMS work and the added difficulties brought...

State-Level COVID Funding and Distribution

From Dept. Of Treasury:  The Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and use of Coronavirus Relief Fund payments. On July 2, 2020, OIG notified each prime recipient of an Interim Report requirement for reporting costs incurred during the period March 1 through...

CMS Updates Cost Data Collection FAQs and Data Collection Instrument

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released printable version of the ground ambulance data collection instrument and an expanded FAQ. Both updated documents address some of the more common questions that CMS has heard over the past months, many of which the American Ambulance Association raised.  Importantly, CMS announces through the...

President Trump Engages on Ambulance Relief during Press Conference

Letter from AAA President Aarron Reinert August 5, 2020 At last night's White House press conference with President Trump, a reporter asked the President about the need for ambulance services to be fully reimbursed for their work related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. President Trump responded that ambulance services are doing an incredible job which...

CMS Releases CY 2021 Physician Fee Schedule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule for Calendar Year (CY) 2021 which has traditionally included proposed changes to the Ambulance Fee Schedule for the same year. The American Ambulance Association (AAA) has confirmed with CMS that the reason there are no references to the...

Use AAA's New Online System to Contact Your Members of Congress on EMS Funding

The American Ambulance Association is pleased to announce our new advocacy software to make contacting your Members of Congress even easier. With just a few clicks, you can contact your Senators and Representative without hassle. Follow the button below to send messages to Congress within minutes: Contact Congress Today As we reach the end of...

RHIhub | Rural Surge Toolkit

Developed by the Rural Health Information Hub: This toolkit provides rural communities with the information, resources, and materials they need to develop a community health program in a rural community. Each of the toolkit's six modules contains information that communities can apply to develop a rural health program, regardless of the specific health topic the...

Income Disparities In Access To Critical Care Services

From Health Affairs Income Disparities In Access To Critical Care Services Genevieve P. Kanter, Andrea G. Segal, and Peter W. Groeneveld ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the importance of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in preventing death from the severe respiratory illness associated with COVID-19. However, the availability of ICU beds is highly variable...

Public safety is divided on face mask policy

From EMS1 The use of face masks to stem the spread of COVID-19 has been a divisive topic, from government officials, to public safety entities, and the general public. Messaging from public health agencies has shifted throughout the pandemic, as to the efficacy of different types of face masks in protecting wearers and those they...

NEMSIS | HIPAA and Bidirectional Data Exchange White Paper

Prepared by Page, Wolfberg, and Wirth Overview Emergency Medical Service (EMS) agencies nationwide still widely report that hospitals and other healthcare providers refuse to share patient information with them, citing concerns under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).1 Misconceptions about HIPAA have created an  artificial barrier to legitimate, approved bidirectional data exchange between EMS...

HHS Report Calls for Congressional Action to Combat Surprise Billing

From HHS.gov on July 29, 2020 HHS Secretary’s Report Calls for Congressional Action to Combat Surprise Billing and Promote Price Transparency Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the HHS Secretary’s Report on Addressing Surprise Billing. The report, called for in Section 7 of President Trump’s Executive Order 13877, Improving Price and Quality Transparency...

NEMSAC Meeting August 18–19

From EMS.gov on July 29 Register Now for the National EMS Advisory Council Meeting Webcast Aug. 18-19 The National EMS Advisory Council will be holding a virtual meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 18-19. Members of the public can register for the webcast and view the full agenda here. The agenda for each day includes meetings of...

CMS Updates Data on COVID-19 Impacts on Medicare Beneficiaries

Released by CMS on July 28 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released its first monthly update of data that provides a snapshot of the impact of COVID-19 on the Medicare population. For the first time, the snapshot includes data for American Indian/Alaskan Native Medicare beneficiaries. The new data indicate that American Indian/Alaskan...

MI | Opioid Treatment Ecosystems Save Lives

From Second Wave Michigan, "Leading the nation, Michigan’s Opioid Treatment Ecosystems save lives through holistic model," feating AAA member Emergent  Health Partners Often the first on the scene, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) working within the Opioid Treatment Ecosystem do more than administer naloxone, CPR, and ambulance transport. In Monroe County, Opioid Treatment Ecosystem initiative partner...