FEATURED IN EMS INSIDER
- Rural/Metro Reduces Administrative Workforce in Company-wide Realignment
- Recommendations for Creating an EMS Culture of Safety
- Using “CPIs” to Help Prevent Legal Troubles
- Food & Drug Administration Drug Shortages Task Force & Strategic Plan Requests Comments
- Clinical Benchmarks That Matter
- Mark Bruning Steps Down as AMR President
- Feds Make Sweeping Changes to HIPAA Privacy & Security Rules
At the urging of the American Ambulance Association (AAA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a "Fact Sheet on Public Assistance to Ambulance Services" Jan. 2 and distributed it to FEMA regional administrators. The document clarifies that all ambulances are eligible for reimbursement under the FEMA "Public Assistance Program" for providing services during federally declared disasters and emergencies. It also identifies the "expenses related to ambulance activities" that are eligible for such reimbursement.
"The issuance of this FEMA fact sheet should now address the ... problem that some AAA members, in particular private, for-profit [services], face in getting reimbursed when responding to a federally declared disaster," Tristan North, AAA Senior vice president for government affairs, said in an AAA Member Advisory.
Carlos J. Castillo, assistant administrator, FEMA Disaster Assistance Directorate, noted in the fact sheet that state, local and tribal governments and private nonprofit organizations or institutions that provide ambulance service are eligible to apply to FEMA directly for reimbursement.
Although he wrote that "private, for-profit ambulance providers arenoteligible fordirectreimbursement from FEMA," Castillo added that a state, local or tribal government that contracts with a private ambulance provider -- including via mutual aid or emergency memoranda of understanding --maysubmit a claim for reimbursement to FEMA on behalf of that private ambulance service.
The fact sheet also details many ambulance service costs eligible for FEMA reimbursement, including regular and overtime pay for employees, extra hires and volunteer EMTs. It also states that the applicant "may not seek reimbursement from FEMA for any ambulance service costs that are covered by private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or a pre-existing private payment agreement." States must determine whether "a prohibited duplication of benefits has occurred" and return any such funds to FEMA.
"[Private ambulance services] represent the majority of the nation
