Medicare has released a mandatory, new ABN form effective March 3, 2008. Ambulance services must use this form in certain situations to inform Medicare beneficiaries that certain ambulance services are non-covered. Failure to do so in certain cases means that the ambulance service would be unable to bill the patient following a denial by Medicare.

A recent Proposed Rule from CMS would allow states to eliminate non-emergency transportation services from their state Medicaid plans and thus eliminate these services as covered benefits. Click the above link to read the Proposed Rule and learn how to submit comments prior to the March 24, 2008 deadline.

As a public service to EMS and the ambulance industry, PWW is pleased to make free sample Patient Signature Forms available for download. Click the above link to go directly to the download page.

CMS has published a Final Rule significantly changing Medicare signature requirements for filing ambulance claims in instances where the patient is unable to sign an Assignment of Benefits form. The new rules go into effect on January 1, 2008. Though the regulation is a Final Rule, CMS is accepting comments until December 31, 2007. Click on the above link to download a copy of these new regulations, and to review a brief PWW summary of these new requirements, which will be particularly burdensome to 911, emergency ambulance services and billers.

The General Accountability Office (GAO) has released a long-awaited report on the costs of providing ambulance services. The report, entitled Ambulance Providers: Costs and Expected Medicare Margins Vary Greatly, is widely viewed as the first step toward achieving equitable reimbursement levels from federal payors, including Medicare. Click above to read more.