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Battling the Opioid Crisis as Employers
April 25, 2018 | Scott Moore
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As ambulance providers we are acutely aware of the opioid crisis in the United States. As providers of emergency medical care, our EMS agencies have been responding to, and providing life–saving treatment to opioid users. In addition to fighting this crisis in the field, we can also combat opioid use in another way. The...
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CMS Releases Market Saturation and Utilization Tool
April 19, 2018 | AAA Staff
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a Market Saturation and Utilization Data Tool which offers national-, state-, and county-level provider services and utilization data for selected health service areas. Included in the 16 health service areas available are, Ambulance (Emergency), Ambulance (Non-Emergency), and Ambulance (Emergency & Non-Emergency).
View the Tool
CMS...
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Talking Medicare: A Good Thing Poorly Explained
April 19, 2018 | Brian Werfel
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On April 13, 2018, CMS released two Transmittals, Transmittal 243 and Transmittal 4021, and a related MedLearns Matter Article (MM10550). Collectively, these documents clarify Medicare’s coverage of ambulance transportation of SNF residents in a stay not covered by Part B, but who have Part B benefits, to the nearest supplier of medically necessary services...
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President's Perspective: April 2018
April 17, 2018 | Mark Postma
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Dear Fellow AAA Member,
Spring has sprung, and the American Ambulance Association is busier than ever working on your behalf to build the future of EMS.
The AAA is pleased to announce that since our last Response Times update, Congress has passed the 5-year extension of the Medicare ambulance add-ons. The extension included the AAA’s preferred...
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Update on Medicare Reimbursement Issues
April 16, 2018 | Brian Werfel
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The AAA would like to take this opportunity to update members on a number of issues related to Medicare reimbursement:
CMS and its contractors have begun adjusting claims for ground ambulance services to reflect the restoration of the temporary add-ons. Section 50203(a) of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 retroactively reinstated the temporary add-ons...
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Make a Difference: EMS and Human Trafficking
April 11, 2018 | Scott McConnell
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When we think of trafficking, we generally think of drugs or weapons, not human beings. Yet the problem exists in numerous communities where EMS responders deliver care.
Human trafficking is defined by the United Nations as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means for an improper purpose.” (End Slavery Now,...
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Video: Ambulance vs Rideshare App
April 4, 2018 | AAA Staff
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Confused by the media stories recommending that patients travel by rideshare app instead of ambulance? Let us clear up the differences for you! From trauma to stroke to childbirth, highly-trained Paramedics and EMTs save and sustain lives every day. Can even a 5-star Uber driver say that? Watch our video to learn a little...
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Spotlight: Gold Cross Ambulance Celebrates 50 Years in Business
April 3, 2018 | Aidan Camas
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Gold Cross Ambulance Celebrates 50th Anniversary!
When Gene Moffitt founded Gold Cross Ambulance in March 1968, he didn’t know that 50 years later the company would be where it is today, the longest-running and largest private ambulance service in Utah.
At its core, Gold Cross is a family-run business. In fact, Gold Cross started out...
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Debut of Unit 68 Film Ft. Acadian Ambulance
March 27, 2018 | AAA Staff
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yy9IFQsvv0&feature=youtu.be
Unit 68 premiered worldwide on YouTube today. The short film was written and directed by David K. Jarreau, a Paramedic with Acadian Ambulance Service, and features an Acadian ambulance. The film depicts a young boy, Mack, and his experience with a mysterious ambulance that forever changes his life. The film is loosely based on...
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EEO-1 Survey Due March 31
March 19, 2018 | Scott Moore
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The American Ambulance Association (AAA) wants to remind all employers located United States and the District of Columbia that are required to file their EEO-1 Survey Data annually that the deadline to file is quickly approaching on March 31, 2018. Employers who have at least 100 employees are required to file EEO-1 survey annually...
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HIPAA and Mobile Devices: What Your Service Needs to Know
March 14, 2018 | Joe Bilello
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For ambulance services, HIPAA compliance is a particularly sensitive issue. Because of the sensitive nature of the health data that EMS and EMT professionals deal with on a daily basis, HIPAA Privacy and Security standards must be carefully adhered to.
This issue becomes even more sensitive when you consider that most of the data collected...
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First Interim Evaluation Report on Medicare Prior Authorization
March 12, 2018 | Brian Werfel
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Talking Medicare: First Interim Evaluation Report on Medicare Prior Authorization (An 80-page report confirming what you already likely suspected)
On February 28, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted an interim report on its prior authorization demonstration project for repetitive, scheduled, non-emergent ambulance transportation. The report, titled First Interim Evaluation Report of...
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Statement for NBC Nightly News Balance Billing Story 3/9/18
March 10, 2018 | AAA Staff
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Last night, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt ran a segment on ambulance balance billing. Although provided with a brief one-paragraph statement in advance, they chose to use less than one sentence of it during the broadcast. We have reproduced our original statement below to provide additional context.
For a better understanding of the...
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Summary of March 2018 Ambulance Open Door Forum
March 9, 2018 | Brian Werfel
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CMS held its latest Open Door Forum on Wednesday, March 7, 2018. As with past Open Door Forums, CMS started the call with the following series of announcements:
Medicare Fee Schedule – CMS indicated that the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, enacted on February 9, 2018, contained several provisions that impacted the payment of ambulance...
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What I Wish I Had Known
March 8, 2018 | Samantha Hilker
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Congratulations! You were selected for the Paramedic Supervisor position, if you accept, we’ll start the transition immediately.
I remember the excitement I had when I heard those words so many years ago. The excitement that carried strongly through 2 days of celebrating with my husband, anticipating the new world I was about to be part...
Battling the Opioid Crisis as Employers (4/25/2018)
CMS Releases Market Saturation and Utilization Tool (4/19/2018)
Talking Medicare: A Good Thing Poorly Explained (4/19/2018)
President’s Perspective: April 2018 (4/17/2018)
Update on Medicare Reimbursement Issues (4/15/2018)
