Rep. Guthrie agrees to clarify EMS Medicaid reimbursement regulations
The members of the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association met recently with Congressman Brett Guthrie (second from right), including Nelson County EMS Director Joe Prewitt (far right). Click to enlarge.
NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT
Saturday, May 20, 2017, 2 p.m. — U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie has agreed to support amending the Medicaid Nonemergency Transportation Bill (HR 1394) that would have allowed states to eliminate Medicaid reimbursement coverage for non-emergency patient transportation.
The Kentucky Ambulance Provider’s Association (KAPA) met in Washington last week with Kentucky’s congressional delegation to educate lawmakers about the possible unintended consequences the legislation would have.
The members of the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association met recently with Sen. Rand Paul (center), including Nelson County EMS Director Joe Prewitt. Click to enlarge.
As written, the bill would allow states to exclude coverage for medically necessary but non-emergency ambulance services. Nonemergency ambulance services as defined are those medical transports not dispatched through a 911 or similar response system, but which can still be medically necessary, according to KAPA President Thomas Adams.
“Not covering non-emergency ambulance services would put the lives of Medicaid patients at risk,” Nelson County EMS director Joe Prewitt said.
As an example, Adams said that an interfacility transport of a stabilized cardiac arrest patient from one hospital to a hospital with a specialized cardiac care unit would be considered a non-emergency ambulance transport under the new guidelines. However, transporting a patient by means other than an ambulance could put the health of the patient in jeopardy, he said.
The KAPA delegation asked Guthrie — a co-sponsor of HR 1394 — to formally clarify that non-emergency, medically necessary ambulance services cannot be waived by the states. Guthrie told the delegation he will work on making that clarification.
KAPA has been regularly sending a delegation to Washington, D.C., to meet with Kentucky’s Congressmen since about 2003. This year the delegation also met with Rep. James Comer (KY-01), Andy Barr (KY-06), Thomas Massie (KY-04), and Sen. Rand Paul. The delegation also met with Sen. Mitch McConnell’s legislative assistant Natalie McIntyre, Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers’ legislative assistant Alex Pinson, Rep. Thomas Massie’s legislative director and Deputy Chief of Staff Seana Cranston, and Zack Marshall, Rep. John Yarmuth’s legislative director.
The delegation also discussed permanent Medicare reform for EMS, the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act that would allow EMS to continue administering controlled substances by standing order, EMS data collection, and safety concerns over increasing the size and weight of large trucks on our roadways. The standing orders clarification has already passed the U.S. House and is currently in the U.S. Senate.
KAPA’s Congressional Delegation included KAPA president Thomas Adams, vice-president Joe Prewitt, public affairs consultant John Hultgren, and board members Joe Bradshaw, Mark Harrison, Phil Dietz, and Troy Walker. Michael Poynter, the executive director of the Kentucky Board of Emergency Services also joined the delegation.
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