1. Neal and Upton Introduce Permanent Medicare Ambulance Relief Bill

2. CMS to Host First National Provider Education Call on HIPAA Version 5010

3. Deadline Approaching for FY 2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Submissions  

4. REMINDER: Registration Open for Next CMS Call on ICD-10 Codes

1. Neal and Upton Introduce Permanent Medicare Ambulance Relief Bill

 Yesterday, Congressmen Richard Neal (D-MA) and Fred Upton (R-MI) introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives the Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act (MAAPA).  The bill number is H.R. 2443.  The legislation consists of two of the three components of the AAA permanent Medicare ambulance relief package developed by the AAA Reimbursement Task Force and adopted by the AAA Board of Directors.  The provisions would take effect on January 1, 2010 when all the current temporary Medicare ambulance relief provisions are set to expire.

The two provisions of the Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act are as follows:

1. 6% increase for ground transports originating in an urban or rural area.  The increase of 6% reflects the findings of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of May 2007. The increase would be to base and mileage rates and would replace the temporary 2% urban and 3% rural increases which also apply to base and mileage rates
2. 17% increase for ground transports originating in super rural areas.  Since there is only a rural mileage rate and not one specifically for super rural, the current 22.6% base rate increase for super rural areas would remain in place and the mileage rate would increase by 6%.  The 22.6% base rate and 6% mileage rate increases equal a combined average increase of 17% which reflects the findings of the GAO report.

The AAA is working with our supporters in the House Rural Health Coalition and the Senate Rural Health Caucus to include a new ambulance rural definition in a larger rural health care bill which is scheduled to be introduced in the coming weeks.  The new definition of rural is based on Rural Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA).  The definition would expand the number of rural areas and result in 7% of urban transports being classified as rural transports and thus eligible for the 1-17 rural mileage bump of 50%.  A rural ambulance definition based on RUCA is the third component of the AAA permanent Medicare ambulance relief package.

Our champions in the Senate currently plan to introduce early next week a Senate version of the Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act.  The language of the Senate version will be identical to H.R. 2443.  Once the Senate bill has been introduced, we will issue a Call To Action to ask ambulance service providers to contact their Members of Congress in support of cosponsoring MAAPA.

2. CMS to Host First National Provider Education Call on HIPAA Version 5010

Forwarded from CMS

 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a national education conference call to address the implementation of HIPAA Version 5010. This call is being conducted for all Medicare fee-for-service providers.  The call will give a general overview of the transition to HIPAA Version 5010 and address some of the exceptions and situations you may encounter as the new version is implemented. A presentation will be given and CMS Subject Matter Experts will be available to answer questions. A PowerPoint presentation will be posted on the CMS 5010 Web page prior to the call. The 5010 Web page is located at www.cms.hhs.gov/ElectronicBillingEDITrans/18_5010D0.asp

Conference call details:

Date: June 9, 2009

Conference Title: CMS audio conference call: HIPAA Version 5010 – What you need to know!

Time: 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. ET

In order to receive the call-in information, you must register for the call. It is important to note that if you are planning to sit in with a group, only one person needs to register to receive the call-in data.  

This registration is solely to reserve a phone line, NOT to allow participation. If you cannot attend the call, replay information is available below.

Registration will close at 2:30 p.m. ET on June 8, 2009, or when available space has been filled.  No exceptions will be made, so please be sure to register prior to this time.

To register for the call participants need to go to: www2.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/060909

Fill in all required data.

Verify your time zone is displayed correctly the drop down box.

Click "Register".

You will be taken to the "Thank you for registering" page and will receive a confirmation email shortly thereafter. Note: Please print and save this page, in the event that your server blocks the confirmation emails. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please check your spam/junk mail filter as it may have been directed there.

3. Deadline Approaching for FY 2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Submissions

Forwarded from the Department of Homeland Security

 Please note that "nonaffiliated EMS organizations" are eligible for funding under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant or "FIRE Act."  Nonaffiliated EMS organizations are nonprofit EMS agencies which are not affiliated with a hospital.  For those Nonaffiliated EMS organizations that have questions or need assistance in applying for a grant, please contact AAA Director of Special Projects Jim Buell at jbuell@the-aaa.org.

The Department of Homeland Security has posted the FY2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program Guidance on the AFG Website. The application period is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Applications for these grants must be received by Wednesday, May 20, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Nationally, the AFG awards, which will be distributed in phases, will ultimately provide approximately $510 million to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations throughout the country. AFG awards aim to enhance response capabilities and to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public with respect to fire and other hazards. The grants enable local fire departments and emergency medical services organizations to purchase or receive training, conduct first responder health and safety programs, and buy equipment and response vehicles.

An applicant tutorial is available through the www.firegrantsupport.com website. The tutorial provides you with valuable grant information and will walk you through the preparation and submittal of competitive applications. In addition, the applicant tutorial will provide an overview of the funding priorities and evaluation criteria. Applicants who have questions regarding the Assistance to Firefighters Grants opportunity should contact the help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov. During the application period, the help desk will operate Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EDT), but is prepared to revise hours of operation based on volume and demand.

The AFG Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate in coordination with the U.S. Fire Administration.

For access to the FY09 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Guidance or FAQs - visit www.firegrantsupport.com/afg/.

4. REMINDER: Registration Open for Next CMS Call on ICD-10 Codes

Forwarded from CMS

Providers may now register for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' ICD-10-CM/PCS Implementation and General Equivalence Mappings (Crosswalks) National Provider Conference Call that will be conducted on May 19, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

This conference call will include a discussion of the following topics:

- An overview of the ICD-10 final rule, which requires the implementation of ICD-10 CM/PCS on October 1, 2013;

- The differences between ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCS codes;

- The use of the General Equivalence Mappings that have been created to assist in converting policies, edits, and trend data from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS; and

- The resources that are available to assist in planning for the transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM/PCS.

Conference call discussion materials and registration information can be accessed at www.cms.hhs.gov/ICD10/07a_2009_CMS_Sponsored_Calls.asp