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,...

AAA Releases 2019 Medicare Rate Calculator

AAA 2019 Medicare Rate Calculator Now Available! The American Ambulance Association is pleased to announce the release of its 2019 Medicare Rate Calculator tool. The AAA believes this is a valuable tool that can assist members in budgeting for the coming year. This calculator has been updated to account for recent changes in Medicare policies,...

OSHA Injury Tracking Update

Earlier this week the AAA reminded its members of their obligation to post their 2018 injury data represented on the OSHA Form 300A in all work sites from February 1st through April 30th.  In addition, all EMS employers are required to report all injury data on the OSHA Injury Tracking Application (ITA).  Historically, all...

Update on Government Shutdown and Sequestration

As the government shutdown drags on the negative impacts continue to grow. If the shutdown continues through January 24, 2019, which is looking likely at this point, current law will require the Trump Administration to cut about $839 million from non-exempt federal benefit programs to avoid increasing the deficit. This is a result of...

Reports of Ambulance Pilot Programs

Earlier this week, health care trade press reported that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) will be rolling out in the coming weeks several innovation pilot programs including a couple related to ambulance services. Over the last several months, the AAA has been meeting with CMMI and CMS officials about a pilot or change...

OSHA Reminder 2019

OSHA Injury Posting & Reporting of 2018 Injury Data It is important that employers remember that they must post a copy of their OSHA Form 300A which is a summary of workplace injuries starting February 1, 2018 through April 30, 2018.  The OSHA Form 300A is a summary of all job-related injuries and illnesses that...

EMS in Crisis

An article published recently by The New Yorker highlights a public health issue that has been growing every year since I started in EMS back in 1990.  As a member a suburban community and an on-call Firefighter/EMT, I have watched as our community has struggled to maintain staffing levels such that we can meaningfully...

President's Perspective January 2019

Dear Fellow AAA Members, Happy New Year from the American Ambulance Association! We enter this new year ready to rise together as an industry to face the mobile healthcare’s challenges and opportunities. Advocacy Update The AAA worked hard in the 115th Congress to achieve many legislative and regulatory wins for the industry. Thanks to the AAA Board,...