Rural Health
News by Topic: Emergency medical services
May 19, 2023 - Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Catherine Cortez-Masto of Nevada introduced legislation to ensure all communities, regardless of population, have access to adequate emergency medical services. The Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act allows ambulance providers to be properly reimbursed by Medicare for the costs of providing emergency services, while also ensuring that existing EMT services, particularly in rural locations, remain operational, with sufficient staff and supplies.
Source: Office of Senator Susan Collins
Apr 25, 2023 - Discusses the decision to convert to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) by a rural Texas hospital faced with closing. Outlines which services will continue to be available at the hospital. Funding for emergency medical services (EMS) are not part of REH guidelines so the ability for continued EMS service at the hospital is unknown.
Source: KTAB, KRBC, Telemundo Abilene, BigCountryHomepage.com
NTIA: First Responder Network Authority; Public Combined Board and Board Committees Meeting
Federal Register
Apr 21, 2023 - Notice from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) announcing a public meeting of the FirstNet Authority Board and Board Committees on May 3, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Mountain. Agenda items are being finalized and will be published on the FirstNet Authority website. Public attendance will be available online only.
Source: Federal Register
CMS: Membership List Update and New Meeting Dates for Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB) Advisory Committee-May 2 and 3, 2023
Federal Register
Apr 14, 2023 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB) Advisory Committee will hold a virtual public meeting on May 2-3, 2023. The agenda includes an overview of the No Surprises Act, and information on the ground ambulance industry, insurance and payment systems, billing practices, and the impact of balance billing on consumers, among other things.
Registration is required.
Source: Federal Register
CMS: Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Federal Register
Apr 11, 2023 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comment on the following information collections: 1) CMS HCPCS Modification to Code Set Form; and 2) Emergency Ambulance Transports and Beneficiary Signature. Comments are due by May 11, 2023.
Source: Federal Register
Apr 10, 2023 - The Helmsley Charitable Trust is equipping first responders in communities across rural states in the Midwest and West with automated external defibrillators (AEDs), to enhance rural healthcare. The trust has provided over $60 million in funding for more than 25,000 AEDs to local law enforcement agencies in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nevada.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Mar 31, 2023 - Illinois Senator Dick Durbin spoke on the U.S. Senate floor about the importance of supporting rural fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies. Durbin spoke about the SIREN Act, which was passed in the 2018 Farm Bill to provide grant funding for public, tribal, and private nonprofit fire and EMS agencies in rural communities nationwide.
Source: National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians