Washington, DC

Medicare Add-on Payments

Congress extended Medicare’s add-on payments for ambulances for another five years through continuing resolution funding legislation on February 9, 2018. The legislation also included a payment reduction for some ambulance transports and a new cost-reporting program for ambulances. Click here to learn more.

Controlled Substances Legislation Signed into Law

President Trump signed H.R. 304, the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2017, into law in November 2017. Endorsed by AAOS and OTA, the bill improves the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration process for emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, and clarifies that EMS professionals are permitted to administer controlled substances pursuant to standing or verbal orders when certain conditions are met.

Click here to read more about the issue from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.