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
Today, CMS has released the proposed rule that would establish the ambulance fee schedule cost collection system as required by statute. The AAA is currently reviewing the rule and will provide a more detailed summary in the coming days.
On Tueusday, July 30 at 12:00pm Eastern, the AAA will be hosting a free webinar during which AAA counsel will provide an overview of the proposals in the rule. Do not miss out on this chance for the most up to date information.
If you have questions about the legislation or regulatory initiatives being undertaken by the AAA, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the AAA Government Affairs Team.
Tristan North – Senior Vice President of Government Affairs
tnorth@ambulance.org | (202) 802-9025
Ruth Hazdovac – AAA Senior Manager of Federal Government Affairs
rhazdovac@ambulance.org | (202) 802-9027
Aidan Camas – Manager of State & Federal Government Affairs
acamas@ambulance.org | (202) 802-9026
Thank you for your continued membership and support.
Educating your members of Congress about ambulance industry issues makes them much more likely to support your efforts. An easy and effective way to educate them is to invite them to participate in a local Ambulance Ride-Along!
Congress is scheduled to adjourn on July 27 for their August congressional recess with members of Congress returning home to their districts and states. This is the perfect opportunity for you to educate your members of Congress about those issues, in particular the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB), permanent ambulance relief and ambulance cost data collection which are important to your operation. The most effective way to deliver these key messages is to host your member of Congress or their staff on a tour of your operation and an ambulance ride-along. The AAA has made the process of arranging a ride-long or scheduling a meeting easy for you with our 2019 Congressional Ride-Along Toolkit.
Are you willing to host a Member of Congress at your service but unsure of how to set it up? Email or call Aidan Camas at acamas@ambulance.org – (202) 802-9026 and Aidan can help you set up a meeting.
Everything you need to arrange the ride-along or schedule a meeting is included in the Toolkit. Act now and invite your elected officials to join you on an Ambulance Ride-Along!
This morning Ruth Hazdovac and Aidan Camas of AAA staff and Kathy Lester, Esq, Healthcare Consultant to the AAA attended a briefing held by the House Energy & Commerce Committee on the issue of surprise/balance billing. At the briefing, staff for Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) announced that they would be releasing a bipartisan discussion draft, the No Surprises Act, which would “protect consumers from surprise medical bills and increase transparency in our health care system.”
As of now, ground and air ambulances are NOT included in the discussion draft. However, the committee is asking for comments on ground and air ambulance and recommendations on how to provide relief to the consumer in this area. The AAA has a Balance Billing Work Group that is hard at work developing a policy recommendation that will work for our members.
The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Lloyd Doggett also announced today that the Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing next week entitled “Hearing on Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills.” AAA Staff will be at the briefing and provide a timely update to membership on any developments.
The AAA team will be submitting comments and policy recommendations based off the work of the Balance Billing Work Group to both the Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means Committee to ensure that the views of our members are well represented. We will also be reaching out to AAA members in the states of key policymakers on the Committees to submit comments, as well. The AAA will also provide members with key talking points in the event they are contact by their Members of Congress or their staff.
If you have questions about the discussion draft or balance billing initiatives being undertaken by the AAA, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the AAA Government Affairs Team.
Tristan North – Senior Vice President of Government Affairs
tnorth@ambulance.org | (202) 802-9025
Ruth Hazdovac – AAA Senior Manager of Federal Government Affairs
rhazdovac@ambulance.org | (202) 802-9027
Aidan Camas – Manager of State & Federal Government Affairs
acamas@ambulance.org | (202) 802-9026
Thank you for your continued membership and support.
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 the “PAYGO” (pay as you go) law which requires spending increases or tax cuts to be offset with cuts to programs or additional revenue to avoid increasing the deficit. As the largest nonexempt benefit program, it is likely that Medicare would experience the worst of these cuts through sequestration.
While the Trump Administration has not yet issued a sequestration order, there is a distinct possibility that one could be issued if the shutdown continues much longer. A sequestration order would mean an additional across the board cut to all Medicare providers, including ambulance services. Ambulance service providers are still feeling the impact of the 2% sequestration cut that has been in effect the past few years. Any new cuts would likely start out being targeted at administrative tasks which could slow payments to providers. Temporary cuts would be expensive for the administration to facilitate and is made more challenging by the fact that many important staff members are currently furloughed. There are also some at the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) who believe that these cuts could not actually be administered until the government is reopen.
The AAA will keep members informed of any new developments.
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 of the Moffitts’ home after he rented two Cadillac ambulances. In the beginning, Moffitt and two or three other employees responded to calls from the family home, where his wife, Julia, oversaw dispatch operations while caring for their young children. Julia has been central to the business since the beginning and has played an essential role in Gold Cross’s continued success.
Today Gold Cross employs over 500 people, operates around 140 ambulances, and responds to hundreds of 911 calls a day. Despite this growth, Gold Cross remains a family business with deep roots in the community—something that the Moffitts are very proud of.
Moffitt points to a couple of factors that have made Gold Cross’s journey a successful one. First, he’s always had a knack for being in the right places at the right time. But he believes that being honorable to the commitment he has made to provide high-quality healthcare to the people of Utah has been critical to his company’s ongoing success. “Success has not come to Gold Cross without much sacrifice over the years,” Moffitt says. “Growing and expanding has not been an easy process, but with dedication and a bit of luck, Gold Cross has been able to overcome the many trials and tribulations we’ve faced.”
Of course when you’ve been in business for 50 years, you’ll have seen many changes to your industry. Moffitt says one of the biggest changes he’s witnessed has been the buyouts of many ambulance services over the years, and that’s something he believes has been both good and bad for the industry. “When large companies buy out smaller ones,” he explains, “the connection of the ambulance service to the community that there was in the past is lost.” Moffitt notes that Gold Cross has never tried to go into another area unless it has been asked to. “Going into a new area to provide service is a delicate process,” he says. ”You must re-prove yourself to the community while being sensitive to the locals and to employees who may come over from the previous provider.” As a family-run business, nurturing the bond between Gold Cross and the communities it serves has always been very important to the Moffitt family.
Looking back on a more personal level, Moffitt has many memories he is proud of. The other day he came across a photo of one of the first babies that Gold Cross transported by ambulance in 1968 or 1969. Gold Cross worked closely with Dr. Larry Jung, a pioneering neonatologist, to help him provide life-saving care to children in Utah. “I’m in awe of how the medical community has really evolved over the last 50 years to give sick newborns and infants a better chance to live,” Moffitt says, smiling. “The baby in that photo would now be 50 years old!”
Gold Cross was also involved in the first heart transplant that took place in Utah. Gold Cross helped the hospital move the patient back and forth with the tremendous amount of equipment necessary for the procedure. The company also played a large role in the Salt Lake City Olympics back in 2002.
Moffitt also made many lifelong friendships because of his involvement with the AAA, including through his work as a past President of the association. He notes that the early AAA days were very important to his work at Gold Cross, giving his ambulance service access to resources and information that Gold Cross would not have had on its own. “The AAA helps foster a friendly relationship amongst providers,” he adds, “and members are very willing to share information about best practices and other experiences.”
Moffitt is working on bringing the company’s past and present together very visually, while giving a confident nod to the future. Gold Cross is refurbishing its remaining 1960 Cadillac ambulances and has also purchased a new ambulance to celebrate the 50th anniversary. When the brand-new ambulance is shown off alongside the 1960s ambulance, it will give a clear picture of where Gold Cross has come from and where the company is going.
And of course there will be numerous celebrations with staff and family, both of whom have been critical to Gold Cross’s success over the years.
One thing that has stayed exactly the same? Moffitt’s vision for Gold Cross—“to provide quality medical care and customer service to anyone, regardless of race, creed, color, religion, or the ability to pay.”
Please join the AAA in congratulating Gene, Julia, the Moffitt family, and Gold Cross Ambulance on 50 years of providing high-quality healthcare to the people of Utah.
Congratulations, and here’s to many more successful years!
Questions? Please contact acamas@ambulance.org for assistance.
Submit Candidate Questionnaire
Individuals who wish to be considered for an elected position as Regional Director must:
1. Be the designated representative of an Active member of the AAA, in good standing;
2. Be ready to devote time and effort to matters which concern the Board of Directors and to actively participate in all Board activities;
3. Be prepared to assist other AAA members with concerns and problems which relate to the ambulance industry and the workings of the AAA; and,
4. Understand that these positions provide no compensation for time or reimbursement for expenses. All travel-related expenses, including transportation, lodging and food are the responsibility of the individual and/or the sponsoring organization.
5. Be willing to comply with all governance policies of the association including, Conflict of Interest, Standards of Conduct, and Board Confidentiality, Public Comment and Lobbying Agreement (PDF).
6. Have served on at least one (1) Association committee within the past five (5) years prior to his or her declaration as a candidate for election as a Director.
There are no restrictions against an individual running for more than one position in the same election cycle, though no person shall hold more than one position simultaneously.
All those who wish to stand for election and believe they are qualified are requested to complete a Nomination Form as well as answer the Candidate Questionnaire which describes both their qualifications and reasons for wanting to participate in the leadership of the AAA.
(Please note that the may Nomination Form be completed by any designated contact for an AAA active member for him or herself, or on behalf of another designated contact at a fellow AAA active member service. The Candidate Questionnaire must be completed by the nominee.)
Candidates’ statements and pictures, as well as the position(s) for which they are running for will be listed on the AAA website.
Both forms must be submitted to by Thursday, August 31, 2017.
Step 1: Nomination Form Step 2: Candidate Questionnaire
Questions? Please contact acamas@ambulance.org for assistance.
The current 33-month extension of the Medicare add-on payments is set to expire at the end of December 2017. Losing these add-on payments would be a devastating blow to ambulance services across the country. It is crucial that the payments be extended as we push for a long-term solution. H.R. 3236 introduced by Reps. Nunes, Upton, and Welch would extend the current temporary Medicare add-ons for five years. More details about the Bill can be found below. Let your Representative know that you support H.R. 3236 — Here are three quick and easy ways to get involved!
Writing to your members of Congress only takes 2 clicks, follow these simple steps:
1. Enter contact information below (required by Congressional offices) and click “Submit”
2. On the next page you’ll see the letter to your Representative (Message 1) and the letter(s) to your Senators (Message 2) – click “Submit Messages”
Feel free to personalize your letter(s) before submitting them.
Post on Facebook why H.R. 3236 is important! Be sure to tag your Representative and encourage others to share your post! Ask others to write letters of support as well! http://bit.ly/AAAbill
More About Our Bill H.R. 3236, the Ambulance Medicare Budget and Operations Act of 2017:
Legislation to extend the Medicare ambulance add-on payments for five years has been introduced by Representatives Nunes, Upton, and Welch (H.R. 3236).
Specifically, the bill:
Educating your members of Congress about ambulance industry issues makes them much more likely to support your efforts. An easy and effective way to educate them is to invite them to participate in a local Ambulance Ride-Along!
Congress is scheduled to adjourn on July 28 for their August congressional recess with members of Congress returning home to their districts and states. This is the perfect opportunity for you to educate your members of Congress about those issues, in particular Medicare ambulance relief and reform, which are important to your operation. The most effective way to deliver these key messages is to host your member of Congress or their staff on a tour of your operation and an ambulance ride-along. If you cannot host a tour and ride-along, we strongly encourage you to arrange local meetings with your members of Congress during August. The AAA has made the process of arranging a ride-long or scheduling a meeting easy for you with our 2018 Congressional Ride-Along Toolkit.
Are you willing to host a Member of Congress at your service but unsure of how to set it up? Email Aidan Camas at acamas@ambulance.org and Aidan can help you set up a meeting.
Everything you need to arrange the ride-along or schedule a meeting is included in the Toolkit. Act now and invite your elected officials to join you on an Ambulance Ride-Along!
The current 33-month extension of the Medicare add-on payments is set to expire at the end of December 2017. Losing these add-on payments would be a devastating blow to ambulance services across the country. It is crucial that the payments be made permanent as we push for a long-term solution. More details about the Bill can be found below. Let your Senators know that you support S. 967 — Here are three quick and easy ways to get involved!
Writing to your members of Congress only takes 2 clicks, follow these simple steps:
1. Enter contact information below (required by Congressional offices) and click “Submit”
2. On the next page you’ll see the letter(s) to your Senators – click “Submit Messages”
Post on Facebook why S. 967 is important! Be sure to tag your Senators and encourage others to share your post! Ask others to write letters of support as well! http://bit.ly/AAAbill
More About Our Bill S. 967, the 2017 Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act:
Permanent ambulance relief legislation has been introduced by Senators Stabenow, Roberts, Schumer, Collins, and Leahy (S. 967). This legislation will allow ambulance service providers to maintain high quality ambulance services and budget for the future.
Specifically, the bill:
The recent elections resulted with Republicans taking control of the White House and retaining a majority in the House and Senate. In the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, we will see a major shift from the policy positions of the current administration. It is likely that there will be immediate efforts toward the repeal, amendment, and replacement of the Affordable Care Act as well as tax reform and infrastructure improvement. Join us for this free webinar, and hear former Members of Congress Bill Paxon (R-NY) and Vic Fazio (D-CA), whom both served in their respective party leadership, give their analysis of the elections and of where the new Administration and Congress go from here.
No problem! All webinars will be recorded and available to stream On-Demand. Register now and watch on your own time!
Please contact Colleen Crowley at ccrowley@ambulance.org.
The AAA is proud to announce this year’s award winners. Awards will be presented at the AAA Annual Conference and Tradeshow Awards Reception on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Please join us in congratulating the winners.
The J. Walter Schaefer Award is given annually to an individual whose work in EMS has contributed positively to the advancement of the industry as a whole. Randy has achieved this through his tireless dedication and service to the industry and his role in elevating the association and its members to national prominence.
The Robert L. Forbuss Lifetime Achievement Award is named in honor of the first Executive Director of the American Ambulance Association. It recognizes a volunteer leader who has made a significant long-term impact on the association. Julie has held numerous leadership positions in the AAA including Membership Committee Chair, Region III Director and Alternate Director. Julie has worked tirelessly to get members of her Region to join the AAA, knowing that it is important to participate in the national organization to be part of the team finding solutions to today’s challenges in EMS.
These awards are given by the President to volunteer leaders who have shown commitment to the advancement of the AAA above and beyond the call of duty. This year the three outstanding volunteers represent tireless work on behalf of the AAA.
Jon Howell has served as the chair of the AAA’s nominating committee for 4 years and in that time has worked to grown the involvement of our members to participate in the AAA nominating and election process. Asbel Montes has worked tirelessly as Co-Chair of the Payment Reform Committee, and David Tetrault has served as a Region IV Board or Director as well as an active participant on the Membership and Education Committee. AAA President Hall was quoted as saying, “this award is given by the sole discretion of the President of the AAA and I cannot think of three more deserving individuals than Jon, Asbel and David. No matter what I have asked them to do for the AAA, they have taken on the task with determination, commitment and a level of servant leadership rarely seen anymore.”
The American Ambulance Association (AAA) is proud to award Brian Choate, Kathy Lester, Scott Moore, and Brian Werfel with 2016 Distinguished Service Awards.
The Regional Workshop team worked countless hours to create the content for the four compliance, billing and reimbursement policy workshops that were presented throughout the country. The workshops were designed to help all types of services structure their billing departments more maximum efficiency and integrity.
It is for this dedication of the team members to the AAA that we are proud to recognize Brian Choate, Kathy Lester, Scott Moore, and Brian Werfel with the 2016 Distinguished Service Award.
The Partner of the Year Award is given to an EMS partner whose collaboration with the AAA enhances educational programs, legislative priorities and/or member benefits. This pas year the NAEMT has partnered with the AAA on numerous projects including Medicare Relief, EMS Compass and most recently issues a joint statement regarding Payment Reform Policies for EMS.
The American Ambulance Association (AAA) is proud to award Avesta with the 2016 Affiliate of the Year Award. The award is given to the vendor whose supports the programs of the association. Avesta is dedicated to solely to the practice of Human Capital Management and the development of solutions that meet the unique human resource challenges of their EMS clients. This year’s Affiliate winner has shown unconditional support of the AAA Stars of Life Program. The Stars of Life event, held annually in Washington, D.C., publically recognized and celebrates the achievements and exceptional work of EMS professionals.
The 2016 AAA Election is going paperless! This year’s election will be held entirely online.
Please contact Aidan Camas at acamas@ambulance.org with any questions.
The Special Needs Tracking & Awareness Response System (STARS), was founded just over two years ago at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. The team at Cardinal Glennon realized that they needed to do something to address the growing number of children in the U.S. with special health care needs, many of whom are at a higher risk for repeated ambulance transports.
As an EMT for over 18 years, Patricia Casey, the Missouri Coordinator of the STARS Program, knows how intimidating it can be for a first responder to walk into a home that in many ways may look like a hospital room. Children with special health care needs can require many different types of in home medical equipment that first responders are often not familiar with. The STARS Program aims to make the job of the first responders easier while making children with medical needs and their parents more comfortable with ambulances in case they need to be transported in one.
Cardinal Glennon works with local ambulance districts to enroll children with special medical needs in that district’s STAR Program. Once a child is registered in STARS, they are given a unique patient identification number and a home visit is scheduled with the patient and their family to compile pertinent medical history. Participating ambulance companies then create a book with all of the stars in their area so that their first responders have access to the medical information on the go. If a STAR needs to be transported, their caregiver can relay their STAR number to the dispatcher who will then let the first responders know. First responders can then look up crucial medical information about the STARS patient, so they can be better prepared when they arrive on scene.
Knowing that many medical devices in the homes of the STARS may be foreign to first responders, Cardinal Glennon’s staff provides free necessary trainings all around Missouri and now Illinois. Shelby Cox works as the Team Lead for EMS outreach, and Josh Dugal, RN, is the EMT-P STARS Coordinator for Illinois. Together with Casey, they help keep the program running smoothly. Each participating ambulance company appoints a STARS coordinator on their staff who will make biannual home visits and make sure the STARS medical information is up to date. Cardinal Glennon also sets up regular opportunities for STARS to visit their local first responders. Giving STARS the chance to get familiar with an ambulance and their local first responders prior to a medical emergency has been proven to help out both parties when an emergency occurs.
A paramedic who has responded to STARS calls explains that “the STARS system permitted me to have advanced medical knowledge before I walked through the door. There was no time lost backtracking to learn the patient’s history or baseline in the midst of a chaotic scene”. In addition to helping the first responders, the STARS program has been a huge reassurance to the parents of STARS whose children may often need medical assistance.
To learn more about Cardinal Glennon’s STARS program, visit their website or check them out on Facebook. Also check out Patricia Casey’s Article on the STARS Program which includes testimonials from both parents and first responders who have participated in the program.
Thanks to the entire team at Cardinal Glennon for your great work!
Do you know of other innovative programs being run by ambulance services? Share with the AAA so that we might feature those programs on the AAA Blog as well.
StateTrack helps you follow legislative and regulatory developments in one state or all of them.
The map below will pull legislation with any of the following key words:
Introducing the AAA’s newest member benefit, StateTrack, powered by CQ Roll Call. StateTrack will give AAA members the ability to easily track crucial legislation and regulations in one state or all of them as well as the Federal Government.
StateTrack will show you a map of the entire United States. Click on the state you are interested in tracking and you will see a list of all regulations and legislation impacting the following areas:
► Affordable Care Act
► Ambulance
► Community Paramedicine
► EMT
► Medicaid
► Medicare
► Mobile Integrated Health
► Paramedic
Click on the key words above to narrow down your search to only legislation and regulations that contain those terms.
Please contact Aidan Camas at acamas@ambulance.org if you have any questions.
Enhance employee health and engagement by making sure your workforce is aware of the LifeWorks Employee Assistance and Wellness Program. The LifeWorks program is centered around helping your employees achieve work-life balance, improving their productivity and well-being.
We all face challenges in life. From finding answers to parenting questions or managing personal finances, to getting help with a relationship or taking care of health issues, LifeWorks offers around the clock fast, free, confidential help.
AAA understands that your people are your most valuable asset. Make sure your employees are aware of this resource for fast, confidential help with family, work, money, health and work-life balance issues. Share AAA’s EAP with your team.
Share Lifeworks with Your Team Today!
Most of us find our jobs stressful at times. Often these feelings are temporary, but sometimes negative emotions linger and may begin to affect your job performance, your relations with others, or even your health and well-being. Learning to manage challenging emotions at work takes effort, but the payoff is big. When we deal with problems before they overwhelm us, we can contribute more to our team and gain a greater sense of control and effectiveness — both at work and outside of work. You can take steps to become more aware of your emotions and to manage them more effectively. If you are feeling stressed at work, the following tips can help you cope:
For support and more ideas on managing stress and other emotions at work, get in touch with LifeWorks—call to speak with a caring, professional consultant anytime, 24/7. LifeWorks is completely confidential and it’s provided to you at no cost. You can also go to www.lifeworks.com to explore our online resources—short videos, podcasts, and a wide range of articles including:
Call LifeWorks at 888-267-8126 or visit www.lifeworks.com (username: theaaa; password: lifeworks)
In order to address a Medicare reimbursement issue we feel is critical, AAA has decided to modify the Tuesday afternoon conference session being led by Brian S. Werfel, Esq.
Instead of covering medicare audits in this session, Mr. Werfel will now be leading an in depth discussion about a recent OIG Report on Questionable Billing Practices. The originally schedule session on preparing for medicare audits will be offered as a webinar. Further information about this new conference session is provided below.
