Legislative Archives - Page 7 of 7 - American Ambulance Association

AAA’s 2015 Ambulance Ride-Along Toolkit

Written by on July 8, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Reimbursement.

It is that time of year. With the summer heat, fireworks, baseball and barbecues comes your greatest opportunity to meet with and influence your federal legislators, the August Recess. This year, Congress is scheduled to begin recess early in August and return to normal business after the Labor Day Holiday. The recess means that many members of Congress will be in their districts and states. This will be a great opportunity for you to educate your members of Congress about current issues affecting our industry. In particular, it will give you the chance to talk about permanent Medicare ambulance relief.

The easiest and most effective way to discuss key issues with your members of Congress is to invite them and their staffs to participate in a tour of your operation and on an ambulance ride-along. This gives you the opportunity to show all of the valuable services that you provide to the community and how Congress can continue to help. The AAA has made the process of scheduling and arranging a ride-along easy for you with the release of our 2015 Congressional Ride-Along Toolkit.

In April of this year, Congress extended the temporary 2% urban, 3% rural and super rural bonus payment through December, 2017. While this was a great victory for the AAA and ambulance services nationwide, a permanent solution is still needed. With temporary extensions of Medicare ambulance relief, ambulance services are incapable of adequately preparing for their financial future and providing quality care to their patients. The AAA has worked hard to have legislation introduced in the both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate that would make the temporary relief become permanent. We are still seeking cosponsors for the bill (H.R. 745, S. 377) and hope that you will assist in our search.

We invite you to use the Ambulance Ride-Along toolkit as you prepare to meet with your members of Congress over the coming months.

Ask Your Members of Congress to Cosponsor Permanent Medicare Relief Legislation

Written by Michael Hall on June 3, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Member Advisories, Reimbursement.

Yesterday morning, Congressmen Walden, Welch, Nunes and Neal sent a Dear Colleague to their fellow members of the House of Representatives asking them to cosponsor the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act of 2015 (S. 377, H.R. 745). This bill will make the current temporary ambulance add-on payments permanent for all ambulance services.

Even with our recent victory of a temporary 33-month extension of crucial Medicare ambulance relief, our Champions on Capitol Hill realize the importance of receiving permanent Medicare relief. They, like every ambulance service across the country, understand that a permanent solution is necessary to provide quality health care to individuals and our communities both today and tomorrow.

Ask Your Members of Congress to Cosponsor Permanent Medicare Relief Legislation

Written by Michael Hall on June 3, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Member Advisories, Reimbursement.

Ambulance Open Door Forum, April 22, H.R. 2

Written by David Werfel on April 28, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Member Advisories, Regulatory, Reimbursement.

CMS held its latest Ambulance Open Door Forum on April 22. It started with the following two announcements:

– H.R. 2 was signed into law extending the temporary ambulance adjustments through December 31, 2017. The adjustments are 2% (urban pick-ups), 3% (rural) and 22.6% (super rural).

– For free standing facilities, use the “P” modifier if the facility is not part of the hospital and use “H” if it is hospital-based.
Following these announcements, there was a Question and Answer period. Most of the questions were not answered on the call and the caller was asked to submit their questions to CMS, or was told to ask their Medicare Administrative Contractor or was told to appeal the denied claim referenced in their question. A few were answered, as follows:

Senate Delays Vote on SGR Repeal Package

Written by Michael Hall on March 27, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Member Advisories, Reimbursement.

Early this morning after completing action on a FY 2016 Senate Budget Resolution, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that the Senate would not act on legislation (H.R. 2) to permanently repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for physicians until after the Easter recess. H.R. 2 includes the 33-month extension of the temporary Medicare ambulance increases. Senate Majority Leader McConnell had sought consideration today of H.R. 2 under unanimous consent which requires the support of all 100 Senators. There were objections to the expedited vote and thus the Senate is now expected to consider the bill when it returns on April 14.

The temporary Medicare ambulance increases expire on March 31. However, contractors have a standard requirement to hold all Medicare claims for 14 days before making payment. The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a notice to contractors formally directing them to utilize this hold. So if the Senate does complete action on H.R. 2 on April 14 there will be no need for reprocessing any claims for the retroactive increases. Should action on H.R. 2 be delayed further, Congress could do a short-term extension or simply allow the provisions to expire for a short period of time. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) have both stated they would like quick consideration of H.R. 2 when the Senate returns.

We will continue to keep you posted of new developments.

House Votes in Favor of Permanent Doc Fix, Bill Moves to the Senate

Written by Michael Hall on March 26, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Member Advisories, Regulatory, Reimbursement.

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 2, doing away with Medicare’s sustainable growth-rate formula and passing a permanent doc fix. The 392-37 vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan. As we reported on March 24, thanks to our champions on Capitol Hill, a 33-month extension of the temporary Medicare ambulance increases was included in the bill. If enacted, the bill would extend the deadline for expiration of Medicare ambulance relief from March 31 until December 31, 2017.

The Senate still needs to pass the bill and is working on a short time-line before they adjourn for recess. Senate Republicans and Democrats have expressed concerns about different aspects of the bill so it is unclear whether the chamber will consider H.R. 2 before it recesses. It is also uncertain if Congress would pass a short-term extension to give the Senate more time or if CMS would be required to formalize its 14-day claim hold policy should H.R. 2 not be enacted before March 31.

In addition to Medicare ambulance relief, the package also includes language from the Protecting Integrity of Medicare Act (H.R. 1021) expanding the current prior authorization pilot programs on repetitive BLS non-emergency ambulance transports in South Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Starting in January 2016, the bill would expand the programs to Delaware, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia. The program would then expand nationwide starting in January 2017.

The AAA will continue to push for the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act (S. 377, H.R. 745). S. 377 and H.R. 745 would make the current temporary ambulance increases permanent and place our industry in a strong position moving forward for data-driven reforms to the ambulance fee schedule. S. 377 and H.R. 745 would also address fraud and abuse with repetitive BLS non-emergency dialysis transports. While a similar program to the current pilot programs. The prior authorization within S. 377 and H.R. 745 would apply only to dialysis transports and would institute additional safeguards to ensure timely prior authorization for medically necessary transports.

I want to thank all AAA members, staff and consultants who continue to work tirelessly on extending essential Medicare ambulance relief. We will keep you posted of new developments.

House SGR Repeal Package Contains Ambulance Relief Extension

Written by Michael Hall on March 24, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Member Advisories, Regulatory, Reimbursement.

Earlier today, House Republican and Democratic leadership released the complete package (H.R. 2) for a permanent fix to the physician fee schedule. I am happy to report that the AAA through our champions on Capitol Hill was successful in getting a 33-month extension of the temporary Medicare ambulance increases included in the bill. If enacted, the bill would extend the deadline for expiration of Medicare ambulance relief from March 31 until December 31, 2017.

The House is scheduled to consider H.R. 2 on either Thursday or Friday prior to adjourning for the two-week Easter recess. The bill is currently expected to pass the House with bipartisan support. Senate Republicans and Democrats have expressed concerns about different aspects of the bill so it is unclear whether the chamber will consider H.R. 2 before it recesses. It is also unclear if Congress would pass a short-term extension to give the Senate more time or if CMS would be required to formalize its 14-day claim hold policy should H.R. 2 not be enacted before March 31.

The package also includes language from the Protecting Integrity of Medicare Act (H.R. 1021) expanding the current prior authorization pilot programs on repetitive BLS non-emergency ambulance transports in South Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Starting in January 2016, the bill would expand the programs to Delaware, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia. The program would then expand nationwide starting in January 2017.

The AAA continues to push for the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention and Reform Act (S. 377, H.R. 745). S. 377 and H.R. 745 would make the current temporary Medicare ambulance increases permanent and place our industry in a strong position moving forward for data-driven reforms to the ambulance fee schedule. S. 377 and H.R. 745 would also address fraud and abuse with repetitive BLS non-emergency dialysis transports. While a similar program to the current pilot programs, the prior authorization within S. 377 and H.R. 745 would apply only to dialysis transports and would institute additional safeguards to ensure timely prior authorization for medically necessary transports.

We will keep you posted of new developments.

Advocate for Permanent Medicare Ambulance Relief

Written by Michael Hall on February 6, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Regulatory, Reimbursement.

The U.S. House of Representatives is currently developing a package on a permanent fix to the physician fee schedule. House Speaker John Boehner recently announced the effort for a permanent fix instead of another extension and the framework of a package is coming together quickly. It is therefore critical that you contact your members of Congress today in support of permanent ambulance relief.

Permanent Medicare Ambulance Relief Bills Introduced in Congress

Written by Michael Hall on February 6, 2015. Posted in Government Affairs, Legislative, Medicare, Member Advisories, Reimbursement.

I am extremely happy to report our Senate and House champions on Medicare ambulance relief introduced on Wednesday the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act of 2015 (S. 377, H.R. 745). Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Senate bill (S. 377) and Congressmen Greg Walden (R-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Richard Neal (D-MA) introduced the House bill (H.R. 745).

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