News & Updates

In cooperation with the American Ambulance Association, we and others have created a running compilation of local and national news stories relating to EMS delivery. Since January, 2021, over 1,900 news reports have been chronicled, with 49% highlighting the EMS staffing crisis, and 34% highlighting the funding crisis. Combined reports of staffing and/or funding account for 83% of the media reports! 96 reports cite EMS system closures/agencies departing communities, and 95% of the news articles reference staffing challenges, funding issues and response times.


Click below for an up to date list of these news stories, with links to the source documents.

Read Only - Media Log as of 4-8-24.xlsx

  • 15 Jan 2021 7:49 AM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    ICMA Source Article | Comments Courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    Hopefully, education like this will help cities and counties consider the impact on EMS as they consider public safety changes...

    -------------------

    Hidden Costs: How Police Reform Could Change the Shape of Other Public Safety Agencies

    Emergency medical services start a new year with uncertain futures.

    By Matt Zavadsky, senior associate, CPSM | Jan 14, 2021

    The year 2020 presented a number of new challenges to the emergency medical services (EMS) world, pushing paramedic and fire services to overhaul many longstanding practices. With every day delivering new findings on COVID-19 and how it might impact communities, chiefs, union officials, city managers, and other leaders have had to adapt in unprecedented ways. But this summer’s protests and calls to “defund the police” have presented new and completely different challenges. 

    As jurisdictions consider the effects of reforming police department budgets and the allocation of funds, they often look to redistribution of responsibilities and limiting police presence in certain areas. In these cases, EMS departments (frequent partners of the police) might be caught in the crosshairs of budgetary changes and be forced to completely shift the way they operate. As public agencies start a new year with uncertain futures, there are some major implications of budget changes that should be addressed to ensure EMS agencies continue to operate at an optimal level.

    How Could EMS Change?

    It’s important for agencies to address how “defunding the police” could have a ripple effect on their emergency medical services. EMS workers are often called into dangerous situations, but do not carry their own protective equipment or weapons. Instead, they rely on police co-response for their own safety, particularly when responding to calls involving possible drug use, behavioral issues, or suicidal patients. And, it’s not always apparent if a situation will be dangerous until police arrive to assess scene safety.

    Should police departments reduce or eliminate their involvement in non-emergency calls, as some groups are suggesting, EMS workers would be expected to head into potentially unknown situations without police protection.

    This could lead to expensive adjustments for the agency.

    For one, unions would likely demand higher compensation and/or increased insurance benefits to make up for the increased dangers of the job. And if a worker is injured while providing emergency medical services, the agency could be liable.

    Another possibility is that EMS teams would demand personal protective equipment like ballistic vests, or even weapons of their own. They might also demand the ability to restrain unpredictable and violent patients (currently the responsibility of police). These requests would require specialized training, the hiring of new staff, or other changes that are not only expensive but nullify efforts to remove weapons from the scene of “non-emergency” calls. Another possibility, and perhaps the most problematic, would be for EMS departments to deem situations too unsafe for responders and begin to decline calls entirely, citing the need to protect their personnel. In cities that receive a high volume of drug overdoses or behavioral health calls, this could be particularly detrimental.

    While it’s unclear exactly how these situations would unravel in specific agencies, it’s important to consider the possibilities to best prepare for any outcome.

    How Can Cities Prepare?

    Before any meaningful action can be taken to prepare a city for changes in public safety operations, it’s essential to first understand the needs of their community.

    Determining these needs would ideally be a collaboration between a combination of city management; police, fire, and EMS leadership; city council; community leaders; and an outside analytics group that can provide unbiased data. 

    The goal of this process should be to flag major call categories in the area (i.e., overdoses, suicidal patients, mental health issues, etc.), as well as what destination options the city has for patients. Oftentimes, there are only two options for such calls—either the hospital or jail, but some areas might have sobering centers/detox facilities, behavioral health centers, homeless shelters, or transitional housing.

    Once data is collected and input is received, city leadership can then work on a solution with solid information to guide their decisions. If, for example, your city receives a high percentage of nonviolent behavioral health calls, it might be worth exploring how to reduce the nights these patients spend in jail and instead support them with a transitional mental health facility. If the number of jail intakes is reduced, that jail budget could be reduced and used to fund a mental health facility—just as a for instance. Solutions will take time, collaboration, and creativity, but they are possible.

    Maximize Your Agency’s Reimbursement Now

    As a final reminder, whenever the subject of budget reform comes up, it is wise to take a hard look at the numbers and become intimately familiar with the costs and revenues associated with local EMS. When these numbers are transparent, it’s easier to maximize revenue sources now to better weather a potential budgetary storm.

    When it comes to EMS, a data analytics partner (like CPSM) can deliver raw, unbiased data to illustrate specific points, such as the payer mix of patients that the department sees, deployment models (down to how many minutes certain pieces of equipment are deployed), and the kinds of calls to which the department is responding. This kind of data is invaluable to all cities, but particularly those that are in financial crisis. Not only can these numbers help maximize the revenues being brought in by EMS now, but they could potentially offer support for maintaining police services in conjunction with EMS by illustrating the department’s need.

    While every agency is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the prospect of police reform, it’s imperative for all public safety leadership to ask questions, prepare for a variety of outcomes, and maximize their revenue ASAP. The sooner those steps are taken, the sooner answers—and hopefully solutions—will be ready for action. 


  • 14 Jan 2021 7:57 AM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    CNN Source Article | Comments Courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    Further national recognition of the amazing job EMS providers, provider agencies, and the entire healthcare system is doing around the country! 

    We are very thankful for our heroes managing this crisis!

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    Los Angeles ambulance ride-along shows the pandemic's grueling toll on EMTs

    By Josh Campbell, Jack Hannah and Eric Levenson, CNN

    Mon January 11, 2021

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/us/los-angeles-ambulance-emt-coronavirus/index.html

    (CNN)  EMT Sadi Pope takes pride in her job, but the recent Covid-19 surge in Los Angeles County has made for some grueling 10-hour shifts.

    The mother of three and former stay-at-home mom has been running an ambulance for the last six months, but the call volume has grown so much in this latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic that "we're running and running" all day now, she said.

    "A few months ago, there would be times where we'd sit for a couple hours just waiting for a call in our area, but now ... we're lucky if we sit for a half an hour," she said.

    To understand how Los Angeles' crushing Covid-19 surge has impacted first-responders, CNN spent a day with EMTs and at the emergency communication hub for Care Ambulance, the largest emergency ambulance service in Southern California. Over nearly eight hours, the group of hard-working yet harried workers tried to handle a large volume of calls and brought sick patients to hospitals so full that the patients were left waiting for hours for an available bed.

    CONTINUE►

  • 29 Dec 2020 8:05 AM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    #EMS association leaders say THANK YOU to #paramedics, #EMTs, #dispatchers, and other #MobileHealthcare professionals. Thank you for serving on the very front lines of our nation’s #COVID19 response!


  • 22 Dec 2020 1:17 PM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    ABC Source | Comments Courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    Many systems may be considering similar protocols as healthcare system capacity becomes more strained...

    ---------------------------

    American Ambulance will only transport Fresno County 911 callers who have life-threatening or emergency conditions

    Instead of transferring patients to a local hospital, paramedics will evaluate them first.

    By Gilbert Magallon

    Monday, December 21, 2020

     

    https://abc30.com/american-ambulance-fresno-county-911-emergency-call/8962755/

     

    FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The way American Ambulance responds to your 911 calls in Fresno County is changing.

     

    As of Monday, only patients with life-threatening and emergency conditions will be transferred to the hospital.

     

    "If you feel like you need to call 911, if your family member is sick and you need to call 911, call 911," said Edgar Escobedo, American Ambulance operations manager. "We are going to be there, we are going to assess that patient and if necessary we are going to transfer that patient."

     

    The new Assess and Refer Policy was implemented Monday to relieve overwhelmed emergency rooms.

     

    Escobedo said instead of transferring patients to a local hospital, paramedics will evaluate them first.

     

    Their condition will then determine if they go to the hospital or if they're referred to an urgent care facility, their primary care doctor, or telemedicine.

    CONTINUE READING>

  • 17 Dec 2020 8:29 AM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    Comments Courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    For those who may have missed it, the American Ambulance Association hosted a webinar and Facebook live event last evening explaining the recent Phase 3 distribution of Provider Relief Funds (PRF).  Scott Moore, Brian Werfel and Asbel Montes did a wonderful job explaining the Phase 3 distribution, and answering many questions from the attendees.

    We strongly encourage all ambulance suppliers and providers to watch the recording of the webinar, which is available here è https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne-7ka2Vw6Q&t=42s

    Background:

    HHS recently announced the distribution of funds for Phase 3 under the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund.  According to the announcement, “ambulance or transportation service providers will be receiving $1.48 billion in Phase 3 funding”. The funding is in addition to the approximately $350 million distributed to ambulance service providers and suppliers under Phase 1 and 2 for a total of $1.83 billion. The American Ambulance Association has been tirelessly advocating for a total of $2.89 billion in relief for our industry.

    The new funds are being distributed to those providers and suppliers who applied for funds under Phase 3. The funds cover lost revenue and increased expenses incurred during the first and second quarters of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The funding under Phase 3 is intended to cover up to 88 percent of losses so those applicants who previously reached that threshold will not receive any funds under the latest round. While the AAA encouraged members to apply for Phase 3 even if they did not believe they would be eligible for additional funds, we will be pushing for another round of funds to enable those who didn’t apply to receive additional relief.


  • 14 Dec 2020 2:21 PM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    Traverse City Eagle Source | Comments courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    Let’s see.... 

    Annual Cost = $755,000 - $1,548,000, plus capital.  Annual Revenue = $484,000.  Clearly this is a tough decision...  J

    If they require MMR to pay for First Responder services, bet the payer would then require an EMD process that only trigger a first response unit for cases that evidence shows a first response may make a difference in the patient’s outcome.  That will certainly reduce the fire department’s response volume!

    ------------------------

    Ambulance study shows changes could cost millions

    By Jordan Travis

    jtravis@record-eagle.com  

    Dec 13, 2020

    TRAVERSE CITY — Making Traverse City Fire Department the city’s primary emergency management services transport provider would be a costly undertaking.

    Buying two new ambulances, as would be needed, would cost up to $500,000 for both, according to a study by TriData. Then, the city would need to spend $755,000 to $1,548,000 on staffing to add seven to nine employees to each shift. That doesn’t include the costs of modifying Stations 1 and 2 to accommodate the larger crews.

    Charging for services would cover some of the costs, but EMS transport rarely turns a profit, according to the study. The city could anticipate $484,000 in revenues for transport each year, and up to $338,000 if it charges for EMS first responder services without transport.

    That’s the findings of a study city commissioners will hear more about at their study session Monday. City Fire Chief Jim Tuller said the idea of Traverse City becoming a primary EMS transport provider goes back to the 1980s when a countywide ambulance service dissolved and Munson Healthcare took over.

    Continue Reading►

  • 14 Dec 2020 8:35 AM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    60 Minutes Source | Comments Courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    Fascinating report on 60 Minutes this evening.  The link below contains the video version – well worth the watch!

    Interesting that the California AG who did the investigation, brought the suit, and negotiated the proposed $575 million settlement, is the Biden Administration’s pick for HHS Secretary.

    ----------------------

    How a hospital system grew to gain market power and drove up California health care costs

    Sutter Health is in the midst of a lawsuit for business practices that drove up health care prices for Californians.

    The coronavirus pandemic has unleashed more than a flood of disease in this country. It's also expected to accelerate a wave of hospital mergers and acquisitions – with big hospitals buying up smaller ones. This consolidation, economists say, is one of the main reasons the cost of health care in this country is going through the roof.

    There's a lawsuit over this in COVID-ravaged California, with the state attorney general claiming that Sutter Health, a hospital chain based in Sacramento, got so big it had essentially become a monopoly.

    On the eve of the trial, Sutter tentatively agreed to a settlement that's awaiting a judge's approval. But this is, even at this stage, a landmark case because it pulled back the curtain on what has rarely been seen or so thoroughly documented before: how and why hospital prices have been skyrocketing.

    Sutter is a sprawling health care system that's the largest and most dominant provider in Northern California.

    Xavier Becerra: They're like the bully on the block. They were able to bully everyone else to conform; it was my way or the highway.

    The state's attorney general, Xavier Becerra, filed a civil lawsuit against Sutter in 2018. We interviewed him before the pandemic and before he was nominated for secretary of Health and Human Services.

    Xavier Becerra: They were gobbling up hospitals. They were gobbling up physicians through these physician practices. They were just munching away, getting bigger and bigger.

    Till they amassed a conglomerate of 24 hospitals, 12,000 physicians, and a string of cancer, cardiac and other health care centers.

    Xavier Becerra: Sutter got big enough that it could use its market power to dominate, to dictate. It was abusing of its power.

    The suit accuses Sutter of embarking on "…an intentional, and successful, strategy…" of cornering much of the market in Northern California, and then jacking up prices -- for example, on the price of delivering a baby.

    CONTINUE READING►

  • 9 Dec 2020 9:13 AM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    MedArrive Press Release in Fierce Healthcare| Comments courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    Heads up EMS’rs....  Another VC funded company leveraging the trusted EMS provider community to provide patient-centered care, that adds value to the payers...

    Two versions of the announcement are below.

    We are in hyperturbulent times in our communities and healthcare systems.  Hometown EMS agencies should leverage their community trust and ‘Swiss army knife’ approach to healthcare, including the important 9-1-1 component of our service delivery, to demonstrate new value to our payers!

    Many agencies have been very successful doing this, especially during the pandemic.  Some of us have even applied for, and already received approval, to be ‘Type 73’ providers for CMS, making us eligible for reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid and others for things like vaccine administration and monoclonal antibody infusions...

    This is OUR time...  J

    Tip of the hat to Curt Bashford and Rob Lawrence for helping assure this information was distributed.

    ----------------

    MedArrive launches to bring more humanity to healthcare

    With $4.5 million in funding from Kleiner Perkins and Define Ventures, and backed by Redesign Health, MedArrive is poised to bridge the virtual care gap and make affordable at-home care the new norm.

    December 03, 2020

     

    https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/12/03/2139204/0/en/MedArrive-launches-to-bring-more-humanity-to-healthcare.html

     

    SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today MedArrive launched a new care management platform that enables healthcare providers and payors to extend services into the home, scaling access to high quality healthcare and meaningfully reducing costs for providers and their patients. MedArrive – co-founded by Dan Trigub and Inna Plumb – bridges the virtual care gap by integrating physician-led telemedicine with hands-on care from a network of trusted EMS professionals, improving patient outcomes while empowering an underutilized segment of healthcare workers.

     

    Backed by Redesign Health, MedArrive is also announcing a $4.5 million seed round, co-led by Kleiner Perkins and Define Ventures. In connection with the investment, Annie Case, Principal at Kleiner Perkins, and Lynne Chou O'Keefe, Founder and Managing Partner at Define Ventures, will both join the MedArrive Board of Directors.

     

    “Now more than ever, as we continue battling a global pandemic, patients deserve healthcare that is accessible, affordable, and safe,” said Dan Trigub, co-founder and CEO of MedArrive. “The current pandemic has placed additional stress on our already flawed health system – patients are avoiding clinics, delaying preventative and critical care, and facing financial strain. By working alongside communities of EMS professionals, providers, and payors to bring high quality care into the home at a fraction of the cost of alternatives, MedArrive’s integrated solution is putting patients back at the center of care.”

     

    MedArrive taps into a capable workforce of EMS professionals (e.g., EMTs and paramedics) so they can leverage the full scope of their training, earn supplemental income and diversify their day-to-day responsibilities. At the same time, patients using MedArrive are able to access trusted medical expertise from the safety of their homes and within their existing health systems, ultimately resulting in better patient outcomes, a better utilized healthcare workforce, and significant cost savings for patients and providers alike.

     

    “Telehealth has enabled patients across the country to access important care from the safety of their homes throughout the pandemic. But many care needs require in-person visits and diagnostics, and often benefit from deeper insight into a patient’s experience at home,” said Pat Songer, COO of Cascade Medical Hospital, Executive Director of the National EMS Management Association, and Advisor to MedArrive. “EMTs and paramedics are highly-trained medical professionals and trusted members of their communities. What MedArrive is doing is enabling this workforce to utilize the full scope of their training and provide care in the home that cannot be done as effectively in a clinic setting, such as medication reconciliation, discharge instruction adherence, fall risk assessment, and collection of key SDoH and environmental data. This translates to better care experiences for patients and lower costs.”

     

    MedArrive launches with $4.5 million in funding from Kleiner Perkins and Define Ventures. This injection of capital will enable MedArrive to continue building their innovative platform, growing their team of industry experts, and driving the expansion of key healthcare provider partnerships across the country. With an initial focus on the Florida market, the team expects to expand quickly and effectively over the coming months.

     

    "Telemedicine is the clearest example of the pandemic remaking business as usual, but telemedicine alone is not the answer," says Annie Case, Principal at Kleiner Perkins. "We need platforms like MedArrive that can enrich and expand the use cases of telemedicine through onsite visits, and we believe MedArrive's partnership-driven approach will help them emerge as a leader in the space. We're looking forward to working with the incredible team at MedArrive as they scale their innovative model and reinvent at-home care."

     

    "Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare system was focused on the continuity of care from hospital to home,” says Lynne Chou O'Keefe, Founder and Managing Partner at Define Ventures. “With this trend and the urgency of COVID, we believe MedArrive is an important scalable solution that will help redefine how healthcare is delivered to patients at the home."

     

    Today, MedArrive partners can tap into a dense network of more than 20k trusted EMTs and paramedics ready to be deployed across the country, with equal representation in rural and urban markets. This will be particularly critical for our partners looking to distribute flu vaccines and, when available, a COVID-19 vaccine without overwhelming health systems. Additional services include chronic condition management, transitional care, readmission prevention, urgent care, palliative care and more. MedArrive provides the most extensive coverage for providers and payors looking to expand their impact and scale care into the home to meet the diverse needs of their patients.

     

    About MedArrive

    MedArrive enables healthcare providers to seamlessly extend care services into the home, unlocking access to high quality healthcare for more people at a fraction of the cost. MedArrive’s fully integrated care management platform allows providers and payors to bridge the virtual care gap by marrying physician-led telemedicine with hands-on care from EMS professionals. This unique approach means that patients are able to access trusted medical expertise from the comfort and safety of their homes without any interruption to continuity of care, ultimately resulting in better patient outcomes, a better utilized healthcare workforce, and significant cost savings for patients and providers alike. MedArrive has more than 20k highly-skilled EMS providers in its national network and services span dozens of clinical use cases including chronic condition management, transitional care, readmission prevention, urgent care, vaccinations, palliative care and more. For more information, visit medarrive.com.

     

    -----------------

    Dan Trigub left Uber Health to start a new healthcare venture. Here is what he's working on

    by Heather Landi

    Dec 3, 2020

     

    https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/dan-trigub-left-uber-health-to-start-a-new-healthcare-venture-here-what-he-s-working

     

    In his two years at Uber Health, Dan Trigub worked to expand access to medical transportation, and, now, he's focused on building a unique approach to home health.

     

    Trigub and co-founder Inna Plumb have launched MedArrive as a new care management platform that enables healthcare providers and payers to extend services into the home.

     

    The startup bridges the virtual care gap by integrating physician-led telemedicine with hands-on care from a network of trusted EMS professionals, improving patient outcomes while empowering an underutilized segment of healthcare workers, according to the company.

     

    Backed by Redesign Health, MedArrive banked a $4.5 million seed round co-led by Kleiner Perkins and Define Ventures. In connection with the investment, Annie Case, principal at Kleiner Perkins, and Lynne Chou O'Keefe, founder and managing partner at Define Ventures, will both join the MedArrive board of directors.

     

    Based in New York City, Redesign Health is a venture studio and holding company incubating tech-enabled healthcare businesses.

     

    The injection of capital will enable MedArrive to continue building its platform, grow its team of industry experts and drive the expansion of key healthcare provider partnerships across the country. With an initial focus on the Florida market, the team expects to expand quickly and effectively over the coming months.

     

    The COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional stress on the health system, with patients avoiding clinics, delaying preventive and critical care and facing financial strain.

     

    "By working alongside communities of EMS professionals, providers, and payors to bring high-quality care into the home at a fraction of the cost of alternatives, MedArrive’s integrated solution is putting patients back at the center of care," said Trigub, CEO of MedArrive.

     

    “Now more than ever, as we continue battling a global pandemic, patients deserve healthcare that is accessible, affordable and safe,” he said.

     

    Clinical care is moving more into the home, and telemedicine is growing with the tailwinds of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it can’t solve every health problem, Trigub told Fierce Healthcare.

     

    "Our mission statement is to improve people’s lives to bring more humanity to healthcare, the physical touch and the contact, and telemedicine strips out the human side of care. By building this platform and infrastructure, we're connecting three stakeholders, patients, health plans and health systems and we're leveraging the most under-utilized workforce in healthcare, EMTs and paramedics," he said.

     

    MedArrive taps into a capable workforce of EMS professionals so they can leverage the full scope of their training, earn supplemental income and diversify their day-to-day responsibilities. At the same time, patients using MedArrive are able to access trusted medical expertise from the safety of their homes and within their existing health systems, ultimately resulting in better patient outcomes, a better-utilized healthcare workforce and significant cost savings for patients and providers alike, according to the company.

    Trigub, who left Lyft to become the head of Uber Health, announced in September that he was leaving the ride-share giant.

     

    "Uber, at the end of the day, is not a healthcare-first organization. It's a massive company with amazing scale and reach. But there are lots of competing priorities. I wanted to give my full attention to a pure healthcare business, and it's a tremendous opportunity outside of a large tech environment that can have a lot of red tape and internal politics," he said.

     

    While telehealth has helped to increase access to care, many care needs require in-person visits and diagnostics and often benefit from deeper insight into a patient’s experience at home, said Pat Songer, chief operating officer of Cascade Medical Hospital, executive director of the National EMS Management Association and adviser to MedArrive.

     

    “What MedArrive is doing is enabling this [EMS] workforce to utilize the full scope of their training and provide care in the home that cannot be done as effectively in a clinic setting, such as medication reconciliation, discharge instruction adherence, fall risk assessment, and collection of key SDoH and environmental data. This translates to better care experiences for patients and lower costs," Songer said.

     

    MedArrive partners can tap into a network of more than 20,000 trusted emergency medical technicians and paramedics, with equal representation in rural and urban markets. This will be particularly critical for the company's partners looking to distribute flu vaccines and, when available, a COVID-19 vaccine without overwhelming health systems, according to MedArrive executives.

     

    Additional services include chronic condition management, transitional care, readmission prevention, urgent care and palliative care.

     

    The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to providing clinical care in patients' homes, according to Plumb, who has experience in private equity, finance and analytics.

     

    "Care is moving into the home, but how can we do it cost-effectively? By leveraging EMS and existing players in the market to deliver care in a cost-effective way, we can be active in both rural or urban environments," she said.

     

    By leveraging virtual care and in-person care, MedArrive enables providers and payers to see what's going on in a patient's home to address social determinants of health and quality of life issues, Trigub said.

     

    That taps into Trigub's experience at Uber Health, where he led the company to form partnerships with Medicare Advantage plans to open up ride-sharing options. Uber Health also has put a focus on Medicaid as a key market to focus on at-risk populations.

     

    "What we can truly do here at MedArrive is have an outsized impact to help democratize healthcare," he said.


  • 4 Dec 2020 5:25 PM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    Washington Post source | Comments courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    There has been a plethora of national and local news stories this week about this issue –

    An NBC News report and a recent MSNBC interview with Dr. Ed Racht earlier this week.

    Ambulance agencies large and small, urban and rural, on the brink of collapse!

    --------------------

    Pandemic is pushing America’s 911 system to ‘breaking point,’ ambulance operators say

    Surging demand, financial strain are leaving ambulance corps exhausted and running out of funds

    By William Wan, Dec. 3, 2020

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/03/911-ambulance-services-breaking-point/

    The coronavirus pandemic has pushed America’s 911 system and emergency responders to a “breaking point,” with ambulance workers and their services financially strained.

    Ambulance providers from New York to Iowa to Georgia say the situation is increasingly dire. Desperate for a financial infusion to keep such operations afloat, the American Ambulance Association recently begged the Department of Health and Human Services for $2.6 billion in emergency funding.

    “The 911 emergency medical system throughout the United States is at a breaking point,” Aarron Reinert, the association’s president, wrote to federal health officials in a Nov. 25 letter obtained by The Washington Post. “Without additional relief, it seems likely to break, even as we enter the third surge.”

    The strain could result in longer wait times and some providers going out of business, ambulance operators said.

    Ambulance providers are struggling to meet surging demand even while grappling with increased costs of personal protective equipment, overtime, staff shortages as workers fall ill and decreases in the type of emergency calls that are reimbursed.

    CONTINUE READING►


  • 3 Dec 2020 5:36 PM | AIMHI Admin (Administrator)

    CMS Source | Comments Courtesy of Matt Zavadsky

    CMS is delaying the data collection and reporting period for ground ambulance organizations selected to participate in year 1 for two years and for one year for ground ambulance organizations selected to participate in year 2.

    With this modification, the data collection period for year 1 and year 2 selected ground ambulance organizations will begin between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.

    Does cause a bit of a challenge, since the data from this process is going to be used to evaluate the Medicare reimbursement rates, so further delays may cause a time compression issue on the back end of this timeframe.

    CMS has issued a revised blanket waiver yesterday: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/summary-covid-19-emergency-declaration-waivers.pdf to delay the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System. 

    Please see page 31 of the above linked document 


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