CMS Releases CY 2021 Physician Fee Schedule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule for Calendar Year (CY) 2021 which has traditionally included proposed changes to the Ambulance Fee Schedule for the same year. The American Ambulance Association (AAA) has confirmed with CMS that the reason there are no references to the...

Use AAA's New Online System to Contact Your Members of Congress on EMS Funding

The American Ambulance Association is pleased to announce our new advocacy software to make contacting your Members of Congress even easier. With just a few clicks, you can contact your Senators and Representative without hassle. Follow the button below to send messages to Congress within minutes: Contact Congress Today As we reach the end of...

RHIhub | Rural Surge Toolkit

Developed by the Rural Health Information Hub: This toolkit provides rural communities with the information, resources, and materials they need to develop a community health program in a rural community. Each of the toolkit's six modules contains information that communities can apply to develop a rural health program, regardless of the specific health topic the...

Income Disparities In Access To Critical Care Services

From Health Affairs Income Disparities In Access To Critical Care Services Genevieve P. Kanter, Andrea G. Segal, and Peter W. Groeneveld ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the importance of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in preventing death from the severe respiratory illness associated with COVID-19. However, the availability of ICU beds is highly variable...

Public safety is divided on face mask policy

From EMS1 The use of face masks to stem the spread of COVID-19 has been a divisive topic, from government officials, to public safety entities, and the general public. Messaging from public health agencies has shifted throughout the pandemic, as to the efficacy of different types of face masks in protecting wearers and those they...

NEMSIS | HIPAA and Bidirectional Data Exchange White Paper

Prepared by Page, Wolfberg, and Wirth Overview Emergency Medical Service (EMS) agencies nationwide still widely report that hospitals and other healthcare providers refuse to share patient information with them, citing concerns under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).1 Misconceptions about HIPAA have created an  artificial barrier to legitimate, approved bidirectional data exchange between EMS...

HHS Report Calls for Congressional Action to Combat Surprise Billing

From HHS.gov on July 29, 2020 HHS Secretary’s Report Calls for Congressional Action to Combat Surprise Billing and Promote Price Transparency Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the HHS Secretary’s Report on Addressing Surprise Billing. The report, called for in Section 7 of President Trump’s Executive Order 13877, Improving Price and Quality Transparency...

NEMSAC Meeting August 18–19

From EMS.gov on July 29 Register Now for the National EMS Advisory Council Meeting Webcast Aug. 18-19 The National EMS Advisory Council will be holding a virtual meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 18-19. Members of the public can register for the webcast and view the full agenda here. The agenda for each day includes meetings of...

CMS Updates Data on COVID-19 Impacts on Medicare Beneficiaries

Released by CMS on July 28 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released its first monthly update of data that provides a snapshot of the impact of COVID-19 on the Medicare population. For the first time, the snapshot includes data for American Indian/Alaskan Native Medicare beneficiaries. The new data indicate that American Indian/Alaskan...

MI | Opioid Treatment Ecosystems Save Lives

From Second Wave Michigan, "Leading the nation, Michigan’s Opioid Treatment Ecosystems save lives through holistic model," feating AAA member Emergent  Health Partners Often the first on the scene, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) working within the Opioid Treatment Ecosystem do more than administer naloxone, CPR, and ambulance transport. In Monroe County, Opioid Treatment Ecosystem initiative partner...

NBC | 'End of life as we know it'

From Yahoo / NBC News on July 27, 2020 At the height of the coronavirus pandemic in New York, emergency medical services Capt. AJ Briones' teams were fielding nearly 700 calls a day, tending to numerous patients going into cardiac arrest, many others needing intubations and seeing more deaths than they ever intended to see. “We...

7/30 | JEMS Paramedicine Strategic Planning Webinar

From JEMS, Sponsored by Zoll Paramedicine Strategic Planning DATE: July 30, 2020 at 1:00 PM EDT / 12:00 PM CDT / 10:00 AM PDT / 5:00 PM GMT DURATION: 1 Hour. CEU: A certificate of attendance will be offered. PRESENTED BY: Brian J. Maguire, Dr.PH, MSA, EMT-P The flaws in the current emergency medical system design...

JAMA | COVID-19 Medical Leave for EMS in NYC

From JAMA Network Open Medical Leave Associated With COVID-19 Among Emergency Medical System Responders and Firefighters in New York City In New York, New York, from March 1 to May 31, 2020, 201 102 individuals were diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in 51 085 hospitalizations and 16 834 deaths.1 The Fire Department of the City of New...

Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Masks

From Newsweek on July 22 Two recent studies looked at the relationship between personality traits and reactions to restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. Researchers found that people possessing so-called "Dark Triad" traits—narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism—were less likely to comply with restrictions or engage in preventative measures against the...

Texas | Invisible Enemies

From the San Antonio Express-News Ambulance crews respond an average of once an hour to transport COVID-19 patients to hospitals, long-term care facilities or to their homes. For paramedics, it’s a daily battle against two invisible enemies — the virus and burnout. Continue Reading