Technology and Your Billing Office Big Changes The ambulance billing office of today is a far cry from the paper-laden, file-cabinet intensive self that it used to be. Modern technology, ranging from digital storage and archiving to cloud technology to electronic claim filing in a growingly paperless world, has advanced the ambulance billing industry to […]
Sign on the Dotted Line, Please! Version 2.1 Hits the Streets This week our good friends at the premiere EMS law firm in the United States, Page, Wolfberg and Wirth, released the latest version of the patient signature and authorization form which has fast become the compliance standard in the ambulance industry. Once again, PWW […]
Defining EMS for our Communities-Facility Education Last Week… In this space last week, we advocated stepping out to educate our communities about EMS. We focused primarily on where to educate people on the subject of when it’s appropriate (and not appropriate) to call 9-1-1 in light of medical necessity and the need for EMS. Our […]
Novitas Announces Revalidation Mailing for Jurisdiction H Medicare Novitas Solutions Inc, Part A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Jurisdiction H including the States of Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas announced the mailing of 18,000 revalidation notices to Medicare providers and suppliers. This follows a similar project conducted by Novitas Solutions for […]
Defining EMS for our Communities “Foot Pain” “County 9-1-1 dispatching EMS Station 90 for unknown medical emergency, female patient with foot pain. Ambulance 91 is due at 2040 hours.” That’s your scenario as it cracks through the Minitor. “Foot pain?” You ask yourself. Really? Someone actually called 9-1-1 to request an ambulance for foot pain? […]
Payment Reductions Loom for Dialysis Transports Section 637 Remember “Section 637.” This is the section of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 that will require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reduce Medicare payments for BLS Non-Emergency ambulance transports nationwide by 10% beginning on October 1, 2013. Non-Emergency, Basic Life Support […]
Proposed Rule Tightens the Screw for Ambulance Feeling Beat Up? CMS published a proposed rule this week which intends to bolster fraud prevention and also limit certain Medicare privileges we’ve grown accustomed to in the ambulance industry. CMS is inviting comments on the proposal now through June 28, 2013. The American Ambulance Association has committed […]
Uncovering Medicaid—The Other Entitlement Not Just Medicare For as long as we’ve been around the ambulance billing scene, everyone has hung on every word that comes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pertaining to Medicare. But note the name of the agency . . . it not only contains the word “Medicare” […]
The Crystal Ball— Obamacare and EMS The Beginning of Something Different Over the past year or so, we’ve received questions from our clients about the potential effect of “Obamacare” on the future of Emergency Medical Services in the United States. Frankly, it’s impossible to provide concrete answers to these questions right now, because no one […]
Railroad Medicare Releases Results of Ambulance Claim Review The Study A little over a week ago, Palmetto GBA, the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for the Railroad Medicare program, issued the findings derived from a review of incoming ambulance claims they completed between October and December 2012. Palmetto GBA’s Medical Review (MR) department completed what they […]
