HHS OIG Issues Advisory Opinion on Community Paramedicine

HHS OIG Issues Advisory Opinion Permitting Community Paramedicine Program Designed to Limit Hospital Readmissions On March 6, 2019, the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) posted OIG Advisory Opinion 19-03. The opinion related to free, in-home follow-up care offered by a hospital to eligible patients for the purpose of reducing hospital admissions or readmissions. The...

Update on New SNF Edits

CMS Set to Implement New Common Working File Edits to Identify Ambulance Services Provided in Connection with Outpatient Hospital Services that should be bundled to the SNF under Consolidated Billing. In a Member Advisory issued last week, the AAA provided an update on a series of new Common Working File (CWF) edits intended to identify...

CMS SNF Edits Go Into Effect - April 1, 2019

CMS Set to Implement New Common Working File Edits to Identify Ambulance Services Provided in Connection with Outpatient Hospital Services that should be bundled to the SNF under Consolidated Billing On November 2, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Transmittal 2176 (Change Request 10955), which would establish a new series of...

DOL Issues Long-Awaited Proposed Overtime Rule

On March 7, 2019, the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) issued the long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) which proposes changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime provisions.  These proposed changes, which are detail in the 219-page document, follow nearly three years of legal actions challenging the USDOL’s 2016 proposed...

CMS to Host Additional ET3 Model Webinar (3/7)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has scheduled an additional webinar on the new Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model announced on February 14, 2019. The webinar will be held on Thursday, March 7th at 2:00 PM Eastern. Registration is open. CMS ET3 Model Webinar March 7 | 2:00 PM ET

AAA Webinar Wednesday, March 6: Tools for Billing Services and Other Vendors

Whether you contract with a third-party billing service, or have an internal billing department, the upcoming Ambulance Cost Data Collection (ACE) webinar hosted by the AAA on Wednesday, March 6 is a can’t miss. As we get closer to new Cost Data Collection requirements taking effect across the ambulance service community, the American Ambulance Association...

CMS ET3 Model Webinar & Follow Up AAA Member Q&A Call - Wednesday, Feb. 27

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has scheduled a webinar on the new Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model announced on February 14, 2019. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, February 27th at 1:00 PM Eastern. Registration is open. CMS ET3 Model Webinar February 27 | 1:00 PM ET Questions? Have more questions? The AAA is here to...

Release: CMMI Announces Ambulance Innovative Payment Pilot Program

February 14, 2019 For Immediate Release Contact Maria Bianchi American Ambulance Association 202-802-9020 info@ambulance.org CMMI Announces Ambulance Innovative Payment Pilot Program Washington, DC – Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced the launch of the Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) Model.  During the next five years, this model will test...

AAA Releases 2019 State Medicaid Ambulance Rate Survey

The AAA is pleased to release its 2019 State Medicaid Rate Survey. This survey sets forth the fee-for-service Medicaid rates for all 50 states. For each state, the Survey lists the rate paid for each of the following procedure codes: A0428 – BLS Non-Emergency A0429 – BLS Emergency A0426 – ALS Non-Emergency A0427 –...

EEOC Extends EEO-1 Reporting Deadline

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) had announced that it has postponed the opening of EEO-1 data reporting until early March and also extended the deadline for employers to submit their EEO-1 data until May 31, 2019.  The EEOC has cited that these deadlines have been postponed due to the lapse in funding as...

Senate Introduces S. 228

Last year, Congress included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 an offset to cover the cost of the 5 year extension of the add-ons. The offset cuts reimbursement for BLS nonemergency transports to and from dialysis centers by an additional 13%. This is on top of the preexisting 10% reduction. The AAA is pleased...

In Memory of Fred Della Valle

The AAA Board is deeply saddened to share the passing of Fred Della Valle, former AAA Regional Director and longtime AMR leader. Our thoughts are with his wife, JoAnn, family, friends, and colleagues. This page will be updated with his obituary as soon as it becomes available. Arrangements Tuesday, February 5, 2019 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wake Iovanne Funeral...

HHS OCR Requests Feedback on HIPAA Privacy Rule

On January 28, 2019, the Office of Health and Human Services the Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) issues a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from covered entities regarding several aspects of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).  Specifically, the HHS OCR is seeking input regarding several elements of the Privacy...

CMS Declines to Extend Temporary Moratorium

On January 30, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it had elected not to extend its temporary moratoria on the enrollment of new Medicare Part B non-emergency ground ambulance providers and suppliers in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These enrollment moratoria expired on January 29, 2019.

Mobile Healthcare Branding Toolkit & Webinar

The American Ambulance Association Communications Committee is proud to share with you our first-ever toolkit for ambulance services. This toolkit serves as a guide for ambulance providers and their teams to understand and tell the story of our industry—Mobile Healthcare—with consistency across communication channels. This toolkit provides you with ways to tell your story in a clear,...