Table of Contents

AAA Website Upgrades and Maintenance Notice

OIG Issues Advisory Opinion on RFP for Ambulance Services
By David M. Werfel, Esq.

National Provider Identifier Notice
forwarded from CMS

Second Call for Articles - Summer 2006 Edition of Ambulance Service Journal

2006 Summer Reimbursement Conference Register NOW!
Early Bird Deadline ENDS Tuesday, June 13th!

Member Question: Do your vehicles require external decals?

“Secrets of Successful EMS Leaders” by Mike Taigman and Stephen Dean Now Available on AAA-Link

Mark Your Calendar: August Audioconference

ASM 2007 Session

OIG Issues Advisory Opinion on RFP for Ambulance Services
By David M. Werfel, Esq.

On May 8, 2006, the Inspector General issued Advisory Opinion 06-06 regarding an RFP for ambulance services.

The City here is licensed under state law as a “non-transport pre-hospital life support operator”.  They operate paramedic units that provide ALS services at the scene of medical emergencies, but they do not transport patients.  The City also operates the 911 dispatch system.  A private ambulance supplier is also dispatched to provide ambulance and transportation services.

The City issued an RFP (6/8/05) for a private ambulance supplier to be the exclusive transporting provider, but requires the supplier to propose a per-response payment to the municipality, with the minimum payment being not less than the difference between the Medicare BLS rate and the applicable ALS rate.  The successful supplier will also only bill uninsured residents for BLS and would not be required to make the per-response payment to the municipality for any ALS services provided to these uninsured residents).  Finally, the RFP required the supplier to replenish, free-of-charge, certain drugs and supplies used by the municipality’s paramedics.

The ambulance supplier will bill all payers, retaining all collections.

The OIG determined that although the proposed arrangement would implicate the anti-kickback statute, the IG would not impose sanctions as:

• The proposed arrangement was part of a larger regulatory scheme for the delivery of emergency medical services.
• The payments to the municipality under the proposed arrangement would only partially compensate the municipality for the costs of providing the first-responder services and the 911 dispatch system.
• The Medicare payment rules allow the non-transporting supplier to be paid by the transporting supplier.
• Neither the municipality nor the supplier has the ability to significantly affect the utilization of the 911 system. Therefore, the risk of overutilization or increased costs to the federal health care programs is limited.
• An exclusive contract for all emergency ambulance transports within the municipality would not have an adverse impact on competition, since the contract would be through an open, competitive bidding process.
• Payment to the City and replenishing drugs/supplies would benefit the public.
• The proposed arrangement does not represent a fundamental change to the manner in which emergency medical services are delivered in the municipality.
• The anti-kickback statute does not prohibit suppliers from offering free or substantially discounted services to uninsured individuals.
  
  

  Advisory Opinion No. 06-06 can be viewed at: http://www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/advisoryopinions/opinions.html

National Provider Identifier Notice
Forwarded from CMS

Countdown Begins - Get Your NPI!

There is less than one year left; don't risk disruption to your cash flow - get your NPI now!

National Provider Identifiers (NPIs) will be required on electronic claims sent on and after May 23, 2007.  Every health care provider should obtain an NPI! 

Getting your NPI is the first step in the process of meeting the compliance date.  Once you have your NPI, you may need to modify your existing business processes to accommodate use of the NPI. You will also need to share your NPI with other health care providers with whom you do business. 

Learn more about NPI and how to apply by visiting http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/npi/01_overview.asp on the CMS website. This page also contains a section for Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) providers with helpful information on the Medicare NPI implementation. A Countdown Clock is now available on this page to remind health care providers of the number of days left before the compliance date; bookmark this page as new information and resources will continue to be posted.

Please click here to see the press release:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1870

AMERICAN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION

Second Call for Articles -- Summer ASJ

The American Ambulance Association is now looking for articles for the Summer 2006 edition of the Ambulance Service Journal. Please contact Stacy Bromley at sbromley@the-aaa.org or 703-610-0247 with questions or articles. We NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

2006 Summer Healthcare Reimbursement Conference

July 11 - July 15, 2006

Join us in Indianapolis for the American Ambulance Association’s 2006 Summer Healthcare Reimbursement Conference.

You only have a few days.. Early-bird Registration ends
Tuesday, June 13th!!

Register now by clicking here and faxing the form to 703-610-9005.

Member Question:

This week's question: Do your vehicles require external membership decals so that they can be viewed through your tinted windows? The current membership decals are applied inside vehicle windows. Please respond to sbromley@the-aaa.org

Secrets of Successful EMS Leaders

“What's Important to You?”

Presented By Mike Taigman and Stephen Dean

June 2006 lesson now available FREE on the AAA-LINK

The popular audio tape series “Secrets of Successful EMS Leaders” by Mike Taigman and Stephen Dean is being posted as a monthly series FREE of charge as a  member benefit on the AAA-LINK.   Each month a new module will be posted.  Listen to the series online or download to your MP3 Player.  The series is also being distributed to all AAA member companies who have set up private LINK systems with EMSED.COM.    You can access the AAA-LINK at:  http://key.emsed.com .  A userid and password are required.  For more information or to sign up for a FREE userid and password call EMSED.COM at 877-435-9309.

Mark Your Calendar!

Industry Expert Ron Thackery, American Medical Response, will share with you the latest advances in EMS worker and vehicle safety. Effective strategies for negotiation insurance premiums and the management of safety in an EMS organization.

ASM 2006 Spring -> SOLD OUT!

ASM 2006 Summer -> SOLD OUT!

NOW ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS FOR ASM IN 2007

Now accepting enrollment for the 2007 session of the Ambulance Service Manager (ASM) Program.  Reserve your place today!

2007 Ambulance Service Manager (ASM)
The ASM Program is sponsored by the American Ambulance Association (AAA) and is for aspiring, new, and experienced managers who wish to develop their leadership competencies and sharpen essential management skills.  The program provides a broad foundational curriculum matching cutting edge management theory with real-life practical applications.

The ASM Program is a certification course designed to immerse participants in an engaging learning cohort.  A small group of 40 participants moves together through two weeks of face-to-face instruction and experiential learning led by industry leading faculty bridged by several weeks of online discussion and group project work.

ASM Graduates will:

Dates for the 2007 program are:

• Online Session Begins: January 29, 2007
• On-site Week 1: February 25-March 2, 2007
• On-site Week 2: April 29 - May 4, 2007
  

Go to http://www.fitchassoc.com/Services/conferences.htm to download the brochure and registration materials. 

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