Did you know, 30% of EMS care goes unfunded by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services & most major insurers? Only if paramedics bring people to the most expensive and most overwhelmed point of care (an emergency department) does an ambulance services get paid.
Last week Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation announced they will terminate the five year ET3 innovation program due to underutilization. Rather than modifying the program to increase utilization, it was ended early. Over a year ago $40M that was set aside for creating 911 medical triage lines - ET3 Phase II - disappeared overnight because they didn't receive enough applications.
The National Association of Mobile Integrated Healthcare Professionals (NAMIHP) responded with a letter about the shuttering of this program.
"The discontinuation of the ET3 program sends a discouraging message to healthcare providers and stakeholders who have invested substantial time, effort, and resources in developing and implementing mobile integrated healthcare programs. It undermines the progress made in reimagining how emergency medical services can be delivered and raises concerns about the future of patient-centered care models that prioritize providing high-quality care in the most appropriate setting."
We need to improve access to funding for America's underfunded safetynet, 911 EMS systems, not continue to pull funding back. Also, if elected official think we get access to federal funding through the AFG, we are limited to 2% of that money.
Will there be an expansion of treatment in place or will CMS & insurance companies continue to not reimburse for care provided?
Additional readings:
"What if the ambulance doesn't come? Rural America faces a broken emergency medical system" by Nada Hassanein of USA TODAY
https://lnkd.in/emFga8Xf
"EMS services warn of 'crippling labor shortage' undermining 911 system"
by Phil McCausland of NBC News
https://lnkd.in/eqBP8KVB
"U.S. faces shortage of EMTs, nearly one-third quit in 2021" by https://lnkd.in/eUDVegsX by Simon Bouie & Carter Evans of CBS News
"What if you call 911 and no one comes? Inside the collapse of America's emergency medical services." by Erika Edwards of NBC News
https://lnkd.in/eHGiKhWD
"Emergency Medical Workers Deserve Pay Equity Paramedics and E.M.T.s are just as professional as firefighters and should be compensated accordingly." by The New York Times Editorial Board
https://lnkd.in/ed5DXfmB
Senator Charles Schumer
Speaker Kevin McCarthy
The Office of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand
The White House
NYS Senate 37th District, Senator Shelley Mayer (Shelley Mayer)
NYS Assemblymember Phillip Steck
NYS Senator Jake Ashby
Eric Adams NYC Office of the Mayor
National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) - National Association of Mobile Integrated Healthcare Providers - National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians - NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EMS PHYSICIANS, INC - EMS Leadership Academy - American Ambulance Association - Bryony Gilbey & Richard Diefenbach (Honorable But Broken: EMS in Crisis documentary producers) - Kerri Hatt of EMS1 - Walter Sebastian Adler - Oren Barzilay
This article was posted on LinkedIn July 3, 2023
