EMS is the subject of many current legislative proposals, all of these very favorable for EMS agencies, and the communities they serve.
If you would like to support any of these initiatives with a letter to your members of congress, visit: https://naemt.org/advocacy/online-legislative-service#/
Current EMS Economic Legislation
Treatment In Place (EMS ROCS Act): S.3236 and H.R.6257
Improving Access to Emergency Medical Services Act: H.R. 8977
Community Paramedicine Act of 2024: H.R. 8042
SIREN Reauthorization: S.265 and H.R. 4646
Medicare Extenders: S.1673 and H.R. 1666
EMS Counts: S.1115 and H.R. 2574
VA Emergency Transportation Access Act: S.2757
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Medicare patients could get emergency treatment at home under new bill
The proposal could give 67.2 million Medicare enrollees more flexible treatment choices
By Jessica Hall
July 31, 2024
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/medicare-patients-could-get-emergency-treatment-at-home-under-new-bill-aa394ca3
A new proposal in Congress would allow older Medicare recipients to receive emergency medical services at home rather than having to be transported to a hospital for care, which could help them avert potential health and financial consequences resulting from a hospital visit.
The proposal, called the Improving Access to Emergency Medical Services for Seniors Act, would allow people to receive care at home for minor but urgent medical incidents instead of being sent to a hospital, where they risk long waits, hospital-acquired infections and higher costs.
Under the proposal, a pilot project would be created to demonstrate the financial and medical impact to Medicare of reimbursing paramedics and emergency medical technicians for treating patients in place.
The bill was introduced by a bipartisan group of representatives, including New York Democrat Pat Ryan, Ohio Republican Mike Carey, Texas Democrat Lloyd Doggett, West Virginia Republican Carol Miller and Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell.
"Not every patient is best served by an emergency room visit," Carey said in a joint statement from the lawmakers. "In fact, for many seniors, a trip to the hospital can mean long wait times, increased costs and potentially life-threatening complications."
The proposal would end a requirement that Medicare patients be transported to emergency healthcare facilities in order for providers to receive reimbursement, thus allowing emergency responders to receive compensation for in-home care they provide. Patients would still be taken to a hospital's emergency department if needed, but under the proposal, they could, when possible, be treated at home.
People 60 and older account for nearly 20% of all emergency-room visits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Patients who received care through treatment-in-place programs had experiences similar to or better than those treated in a hospital, according to a study published in JAMA in 2021. They faced similar mortality risk, a 26% lower hospital readmission risk and a lower risk for admission into a long-term care facility compared with their counterparts treated in hospitals, the study found.
Medicare is federal health insurance that covers people age 65 and older, as well as some people under 65 who have certain disabilities or medical conditions. As of March 2024, more than 67.2 million people were covered by Medicare or Medicare Advantage programs, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
"Treating patients immediately at home and preventing an emergency room trip is sometimes both the best way to help the patient and the taxpayer," Doggett said in the statement.
In rural areas, some older people live hours from an emergency room and would benefit from being treated at home by emergency personnel, Miller said.
"Allowing EMTs to be reimbursed for this care and preventing unnecessary hospital visits would be an immense cost-saver for Medicare, free up emergency room space for those who really need critical care, and improve quality of life for our seniors," Dingell said in the statement.
The bill has received support from the National Rural Health Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Firefighters, American Ambulance Association, Congressional Fire Service Institute, National Association of Towns and Townships and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.
