The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the ET3 model earlier today.

Per CMS:

Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) is a voluntary, five-year payment model that will provide greater flexibility to ambulance care teams to address emergency health care needs of Medicare beneficiaries following a 911 call. Under the ET3 model, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will pay participating ambulance suppliers and providers to 1) transport an individual to a hospital emergency department (ED) or other destination covered under the regulations, 2) transport to an alternative destination (such as a primary care doctor’s office or an urgent care clinic), or 3) provide treatment in place with a qualified health care practitioner, either on the scene or connected using telehealth. The model will allow beneficiaries to access the most appropriate emergency services at the right time and place. The model will also encourage local governments, their designees, or other entities that operate or have authority over one or more 911 dispatches to promote successful model implementation by establishing a medical triage line for low-acuity 911 calls. As a result, the ET3 model aims to improve quality and lower costs by reducing avoidable transports to the ED and unnecessary hospitalizations following those transports.

Click here to view CMS’s announcement.

Click here to view the fact sheet.

Click here to view the press release.

TEMSA will have more on this opportunity for EMS agencies at EMS EVOLUTION 2019 this June. The series of Tweets on the topic from CMS can be found below.

Matt Zavadsky of MedStar Mobile Healthcare is pictured with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation director Adam Boehler at today’s announcement.