The federal EMS on the Hill Day is approaching and there is a major shift in all things government that influence EMS, from billing to grant funding and, possibly, regulatory oversight.
Starting first with the Medicare extenders. For those not familiar with it, EMS providers have been paid a Medicare extender bonus. House Bill 10545 passed by the US Senate and the House of Representatives extended the temporary Medicare ambulance add-on payments of 2% urban, 3% rural and 22.6% super rural through March 31, 2025. Most ambulance operations have a payer mix of at least one-fourth or more that are Medicare patients. Colorado’s rural ambulance services stand to lose 22% of their reimbursement.