Ambulance Billing News

Provider Enrollment Changes

Submit Comment Letter to CMS on Proposed Rule

On April 29, 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule intended to strengthen the Medicare Incentive Reward Program and to make certain changes to the provider enrollment process…

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Tell Congress to Eliminate Taxation of Minor Volunteer Benefits...

Atrus to develop AED registry for State of Maryland

Atrus, Inc., creators of the National AED Registry™, announced that it has contracted with the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) to provide a customized version of its automated external defibrillator (AED) registry for the State of Maryland...

Our iPad Mini Winner is . . .

As part of the enhanced billing and service promise, we developed the ambulance industry's first mobile reporting solution. To celebrate, we gave an iPad Mini to one lucky winner...

A Message from PFESI

How to Lead Without Being a Jerk

Following disciplinary protocols in a fair way does not make you a jerk; it makes you a credible leader. I recently wrote a column about working with older, less motivated crews. In this column, I said that officers must insist on accountability with their crews, but "you don't have to be a jerk about it."

PA Ambulance Operator Sentenced to 92 Months in Prison for Medicare Scam

Northeast Philadelphia ambulance operator, William Hlushmanuk, was sentenced to 92 months in prison after 5 years of fraudulent medicare billing and spending nearly $5.4 million on personal luxuries like motorcycles, drugs, a house, a Hummer, and vacations to Las Vegas and Florida.

CMS Posts Transmittal 2703 Advising MAC's to Reduce Payments to BLS Non-Emergency ESRD Transports

On October 1, 2013, a 10% reduction in payments for BLS Non-Emergency ambulance transports of ESRD patients to and from dialysis facilities has now been posted to the CMS website.

Enhanced Management Services Announces the Ambulance Industry's First Mobile Reporting Solution

Enhanced Management Services, a leader in the ambulance billing industry, has developed the ambulance industry’s first mobile reporting solution. Enhanced PulsePoint™ Mobile securely delivers billing reports to client’s mobile devices.

AAA Member Advisory - Congress Extends Medicare Ambulance Relief

Congress Extends Medicare Ambulance Relief

I am happy to report that thanks to the AAA and many of you, Congress has extended the temporary Medicare ambulance relief for another year as part of the package to avert the fiscal cliff. This includes the 2% urban, 3% rural and super rural increases. In addition, Congress delayed the 2% cut to Medicare providers as part of sequestration. Congress did, however, also target nonemergency basic life support transports of ESRD patients with a 10% cut in response to concerns cited by MedPAC, the GAO and OIG. The President has stated he will sign the bill as soon as it reaches his desk. A detailed summary of the ambulance provisions contained in the package, the American Taxpayer Relief Act (H.R. 8), is listed below.

Breaking News from Page, Wolfberg, & Wirth

Fiscal Cliff Deal to Extend Ambulance Bonuses, Cut Reimbursement for Dialysis Trips 10% in 2013

Late last night, Congress reached a deal to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" and delay the 2% Medicare sequestration cuts for two months.

Enhanced Unaffected by Sandy

The events of the past two days have most likely pushed many Fire/EMS departments to the limit. Hurricane turned “Superstorm Sandy” swept over the east coast of the United States with unprecedented impact leaving scars that will last long after Sandy has disappeared to our north. Thankfully, Enhanced Management Services didn’t miss a beat . . .

Hurricane Sandy: Stay safe EMS friends and clients

As Hurricane Sandy assaults the east coast of the US, we thank EMS clients and friends for all they do and ask you to stay safe!

Medicare Fraud Strike Force Charges 91 Individuals Approximately $430 Million in False Billing

Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in seven cities have led to charges against 91 individuals – including doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals – for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $429.2 million in false billing, Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today.

OIG Issues its 2013 Work Plan

On October 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released its Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2013. The OIG’s Work Plan is important, as it sets forth a road map of the OIG’s priorities for the coming year.

United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) Releases National Ambulance Provider Payments Report

Recently, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its most recent report that takes a look at payments to ambulance providers nationwide. The report is entitled “AMBULANCE PROVIDERS. Costs and Medicare Margins Varied Widely; Transports of Beneficiaries Have Increased.”

Contact your Senator on HB1344 (Direct Pay Bill)

For nearly a decade, this bill has been strongly opposed by the insurance lobby. We are asking you to contact Senator Don White and the Committee to move this bill onto the floor for a vote.

American Ambulance Association (AAA) Issues Advisory

ALS Ambulance companies have long enjoyed the ability to bill for ALS Assessments and collect additional revenue for those scenarios. Fewer dollars may be flowing to ALS Ambulance services in the days ahead, as CMS and the Inspector General’s office are currently studying this issue.

PCS to Carry No Conclusive Weight with CMS Proposed Rule Change

Reacting to a recent Federal District Court decision, CMS has proposed a Rule Change in reference to the weight of a doctor’s signed Physician Certification Statement (PCS) when considering Medical Necessity of patients requiring repetitive non-emergency ambulance transports.

President Obama Signs Act Extending Ambulance Bonus Payments

President Obama has signed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 into law. In addition to insuring that thousands of Americans will not be assessed higher payroll deduction taxes for the balance of 2012, most importantly to the ambulance industry it means the 2% urban, 3% rural and 22.6% super rural bonus payments remain in place through December 31, 2012.

Bill to Extend Ambulance Relief Payments for Remainder of 2012 Passes

The much anticipated “tax cut” bill has been passed by Congress! Ambulance companies across the United States were holding their collective breath as the temporary Medicare bonus payments of 2% urban, 3% rural and 22.6% super rural were set to once again expire at the end of February.

Enhanced Achieves 5010 Version X12 Compliance for HIPAA Transactions

Enhanced Management Services, Inc, an emergency medical services and ambulance billing company announces its compliance with the Version 5010 X12 standards of readiness for HIPAA transactions.

GPCI Decrease Offsets Positive Medicare Increase in Some Geographic Areas

Talk about a “yo-yo” effect of ups and downs surrounding the anticipated new Medicare Ambulance Fee Schedule amounts! You’ll recall we Blogged several times about the Congressional battle that stood to interfere with the extension of the bonus payments. We learned that the Ambulance Inflation Factor (AIF) would finally be a positive 2.4%. At the time that seemed like very good news! Then our hopes were dashed for any increase when it appeared that Congress would allow the Ambulance bonus payments to expire.

Enhanced Management Services "CAC Wall of Pride"

Enhanced continues to require CAC Certification of new employees as part of its extensive training program. The diplomas of the company's CAC graduates are proudly displayed on the "CAC Wall of Pride" for visitors and staff to see when entering the company's corporate headquarters in Danville.

Ambulance Inflation Factor to increase by 2.4% in 2012

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the Ambulance Inflation Factor (AIF) for 2012 will be set at +2.4% beginning on January 1, 2012.

Recovery Audit Program Extended to Medicaid

Last week the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its final rule establishing the Medicaid Recovery Audit program. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) touted the program as a key part of the Obama Administration’s initiatives to curb waste, fraud and abuse within the Medicaid system, and extending the Recovery Audit initiatives beyond Medicare for the first time.

New HIPAA-Mandated Format to Affect EMS Billing

Electronic medical claims submitted by healthcare providers and suppliers in the U.S.A. will take on a new look in 2012, thanks to the HIPAA mandated conversion to Version 5010 electronic transaction format.

AAA Encourages EMS Community to Action

The American Ambulance Association is calling for the EMS Community to reach out to members of Congress to show their support in sponsorship of the Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act of 2011 (MAAPA).

Re-Calculation May Delay Ambulance Fee Schedule Increase Extensions

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) representatives announced during yesterday's Ambulance Open Door Forum nationwide conference call that extended increases in the Medicare Ambulance Fee Schedule, mandated by the newly-passed Health Care Reform Legislations, could be delayed until mid- to late-May due to mandated re-calculations in the Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI).

How Will the Health Care Reform Law Affect Billing for Ambulance Services?

As you know, President Obama signed brand new Health Care Reform Legislation into law. Already health care providers, including ambulance services and EMS administrators, across the nation are beginning to ask questions about what these sweeping changes will mean for them, specifically. These answers will come over time, however, our friends at Page, Wolfberg and Wirth have put together a short statement pointing to the immediate items that will potentially have a direct impact on the ambulance industry for both the short and long terms.

Our Maryland office is on the move...

New office is easier to find and easier to access.

Our Bel Air office is moving to a new location! We are now located at...

260 Gateway Drive
Suite 13B
Bel Air, MD 21014

Our new office is easier to find, easier to access, has more parking spots and has a fresh coat of paint, too!

PA Governor Signs New EMS Bill

From: Office Of The Governor

GOVERNOR RENDELL SIGNS NEW EMS LAW

HARRISBURG – Governor Edward G. Rendell today signed into law SB240, a measure to update and enhance Pennsylvania's existing Emergency Medical Services Act. The law was first enacted in 1985.

New On-Demand Reporting System

Get instant access to your billing records via a simple web interface from Enhanced Management Services. Enhanced has created an online reporting system that allows you to generate your own billing reports when you need them.

Enhanced Billing Staff Becomes Certified Ambulance Coders

Enhanced Management Services, Inc. is the first ambulance billing service in the nation to certify 100% of its billing staff in Certified Ambulance Coder (CAC)™ program. The CAC certification demonstrates our continued commitment to compliance, collection, and efficiency.

New Ambulance Billing Service blog is here to serve you!

Enhanced Management Services, Inc. is pleased to announce the Ambulance Billing Services blog at www.ambulancebillingservices.com. We created the blog as a way to share tips that will help you streamline your billing services and collect more money. We’ll also talk about industry news and trends as it relates to the administrative billing services for ambulance companies.

Be Ready for the "Red Flag Rules"

Ambulance services need to take immediate steps to familiarize themselves with the Red Flag Rules and implement an Identity Theft Prevention Program. The FTC recently announced that it will begin enforcing the “Red Flag Rules” on May 1, 2009.

New Medicare Signature Requirements!!

Signature requirements will change AGAIN on January 1, 2009. All Enhanced Clients have been provided the required information and forms prior to January 1st.