Happy New Year from the American Ambulance Association. 2017 promises to bring many changes to the health care landscape, and AAA will be there with you and your ambulance service the whole way. As we launch our 2017 initiatives, I wanted to share the updates below from AAA’s board and headquarters.

Advocacy Priorities

In 2017, we will continue to work tirelessly toward our primary advocacy goal: making the CMS temporary ambulance add-on payments permanent.

This effort fits seamlessly into our longer-term payment reform plan, which includes seeking a change in our CMS status from “Supplier” of services to “Provider” of health care. We plan to back this effort with cost data obtained through a rotating, statistically valid survey of ambulance providers, rather than burdensome universal annual reporting. This Provider status would open the door for future innovations in our field, including mobile integrated health (MIH).

Our Government Affairs, Medicare Regulatory, and Payment Reform Committees, along with our paid staff and consultants, have been extremely engaged and active on these issues. To add your voice to AAA’s, please visit our advocacy page to quickly and easily contact your elected officials.

Capital Campaign

I am proud to share that the $1 million capital campaign we kicked off at the 2016 Annual Conference & Trade Show is progressing nicely, with $150,000 raised to date. These funds will be restricted, and only used after a full board vote. I ask that you consider donating as we are in uncharted waters on Capitol Hill.

Committees and Task Forces

AAA thrives on the dedication of its committee chairs, vice-chairs, and members. We have seen a recent surge in volunteerism from our active members. One of my campaign goals was to get more participation from members, what a great thing to see this happening! If you would like to be considered for committee membership, please complete AAA’s short online form.

In addition to our standing committees, we have launched three mission-critical task forces: BLS Non-Emergency, Social Media/Communications, and Small Providers. A large group of ambulance services participated in a recent Chicago meeting for the Non-Emergency task force, with another meeting planned in the Northeast in the near future.

2017 Membership Renewal

Membership is the lifeblood of AAA. Dues are the fuel that powers our advocacy engine, and enables us to offer the innovative benefits your service has come to rely on. If you have already renewed, please accept our most sincere thanks for your continued support. If you have not yet submitted payment for this year’s membership, I encourage you to renew online or reach out to staff at info@ambulance.org for assistance. Again, AAA needs your support through membership to continue our industry-advancing work.

It continues to be my pleasure to serve so many talented, dedicated healthcare professionals. Thank you for your service to your communities, and we wish you a successful and productive 2017!

Mark Postma—President
AAA
Representing EMS in America