January Law Changes– OR, NJ, NY, NV

Oregon Pregnancy Accommodations Law   Following many other states, the new law prohibits employers from deny employment opportunities to applicants or employees who need reasonable accommodations due to or related to their pregnancy or childbirth.  New Jersey Pay Inquiry Restrictions   This law prohibits screening candidates based upon an applicant’s prior wage history. It is also illegal to establish...

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Overtime Update

The U.S. DOL issued the final rule that will update the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) beginning on January 1, 2020. Under the final rule, nearly 1.3 million workers who were previously exempt from overtime pay will now be eligible. These changes, which were initially proposed by the Obama Administration in 2015, were updated...

Proposed Rule Impacts Employer Sponsored Health Plans

A proposed rule published on November 27th by the IRS, U.S. DOL, and HHS would place new requirements on group health plans and health insurance providers. The rule would require providers to disclose cost-sharing information to participants, beneficiaries, and other covered individuals which would outline their liability to pay certain cost-sharing amounts and out-of-pocket expenses. This rule...

CMS Cost Collection Call - December 5th

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has scheduled a call for Thursday, December 5 from 1:30-3:00 PM Eastern to review the new Ambulance Cost Data Collection System. If you plan to attend, register here. CMS Ambulance Cost Data Collection December 5 | 1:30 PM ET

2018 National and State-Specific Medicare Data

The American Ambulance Association is pleased to announce the publication of its 2018 Medicare Payment Data Report. This report is based on the “Early Edition” of the 2018 Part B National Summary Data File (previously known as the Bess Report). The report consists of an overview of total Medicare spending nationwide, and then a...

Summary of Final Rule on Ambulance Data Cost Collection

Summary of Final Rule on Ambulance Data Cost Collection The American Ambulance Association (AAA) has completed its review and summary of the Final Rule on the Establishment of an Ambulance Data Collection System drafted by Kathy Lester, Esq. To access the summary of the Final Rule, please click here. The Final Rule is scheduled to be published in...

2019 AAA Board of Directors Election Results

The winners of the 2019 AAA Board of Directors election are listed below. Please join us in thanking all candidates for their service to the American Ambulance Association. Director (2021) Jim Finger Chief Executive Officer/ Administrator Regional Ambulance Service Rutland, VT   Alternate Director Reginald Allen Chief Executive Officer CHS Mobile Integrated Health Care Rochester, NY   Director (2021) Josef Penner Executive Director Mecklenburg EMS Agency...

CMS Posts Final Ambulance Data Collection Instrument

CMS Posts Final Ambulance Data Collection Instrument The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted the final version of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Instrument. The Instrument is the guidance and mechanism by which CMS will request data from those ambulance service suppliers and providers selected in year one of the sampling. The...

CMS Releases List of Ambulance Organizations Selected for Data Collection

CMS Releases List of Ambulance Organizations Selected for Data Collection The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the list of ambulance service providers and suppliers selected to provide data in the first year of data collection. CMS has published the data by National Provider Identifier (NPI) number and the AAA has also...

CMS Releases Final Rule on Ambulance Data Collection System

Late this afternoon, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule on the “Establishment of an Ambulance Data Collection System”. The rule was issued as part of the “Medicare Program; CY 2020 Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment Policies” [CMS-1715-F...

CMS Open Door Forum & Member Q&A - November 7th

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has scheduled its next Ambulance Open Door Forum for Thursday, November 7 from 2:00-3:30 PM Eastern. If you plan to attend, please dial in at least 15 minutes before the call. CMS Ambulance Open Door Forum November 7 | 2:00 PM ET Participant Dial-In Number:  1-888-455-1397 Conference ID #: 4676500 Questions? Have more questions? The...

Permanent Medicare Ambulance Relief Bill Introduced in House

Moments ago, Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) introduced the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act of 2019 (H.R. 4938). Congressmen Peter Welch, (D-VT), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) are original cosponsors of the legislation. Thank you to the bill sponsors for their continued support! H.R. 4938 would...

CMS Announces 2020 Ambulance Inflation Factor

On October 4, 2019, CMS issued Transmittal 4407 (Change Request 11497), which announced the Medicare Ambulance Inflation Factor (AIF) for calendar year 2020. The AIF is calculated by measuring the increase in the consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) for the 12-month period ending with June of the previous year. Starting in calendar...

CMS Announces Comment Period for National Expansion of Prior Authorization Process

On October 29, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted a notice in the Federal Register announcing an opportunity for the public to provide comments on the proposed national expansion of the prior authorization process for repetitive, scheduled non-emergent ground ambulance transportation.  CMS refers to this process as its “RSNAT Prior...

HHS OIG Issues Proposed AKS Safe Harbor Rule

On Thursday, October 17, 2019, the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a proposed rule titled “Medicare and State Health Care Programs: Fraud and Abuse; Revisions to Safe Harbors Under the Anti-Kickback Statute, and Civil Monetary Penalties Regarding Beneficiary Inducements.”  The proposed rule would amend the existing safe harbors to the Federal...