H.R. 3443: When Minutes Count for Emergency Medical Patients Act

This bill, titled the "When Minutes Count for Emergency Medical Patients Act," aims to improve emergency medical services (EMS) coverage under Medicare. It proposes several changes to enhance how Medicare pays for ground and air ambulance services, particularly in emergencies where time-sensitive medications and blood products are needed. Here’s a simplified breakdown of its key components:

Establishing a New Payment Model

The bill proposes to create a new payment model called the "When Minutes Count for EMS Patients Model." This model would allow for supplemental payments to ambulance services for specified life-saving medications and blood products that must be administered quickly to patients with emergency medical conditions. This includes medications that are critical in various life-threatening situations.

Eligible Entities

To be a part of this new model, emergency medical service agencies must apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Their applications should demonstrate their ability to provide necessary data about the quality of care and emergency medical service outcomes.

Payment Adjustments

Participating agencies would receive these supplemental payments in addition to the standard payments they already receive for services. The new payment rates would consider several factors, including:

• The costs of maintaining an adequate supply of life-saving medications.
• The costs associated with blood product usage.
• Administrative and logistical costs of providing these emergency services.

Payments would be disbursed as a lump sum either monthly or quarterly.

Implementation Scope

The Secretary of HHS is responsible for implementing this model across various regions and types of geographical areas, ensuring a wide array of participants to adequately evaluate its effectiveness.

Reporting Requirements

Within a year after the model concludes, the Secretary must report to Congress on how effective the program was in increasing the use of necessary medications and blood products, along with its impact on the quality of care and patient outcomes.

MedPAC Responsibilities

Additionally, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is tasked with evaluating and reporting on EMS payment models and the efficacy of these services within two years of the bill's enactment. This includes analyses of EMS medical directors and EMS professionals, examining payment sufficiency and workforce needs in the system.

Guidance on Hospital Responsibilities

The bill also instructs the Secretary of HHS to provide guidance for hospitals to manage "wall time," which refers to the time patients wait after being handed over from EMS to hospital staff. A report evaluating the effectiveness of this guidance is expected a year after issuance.

Duration and Definitions

The model proposed will run for a minimum of five years. The bill includes various definitions relevant to its provisions, such as what constitutes emergency medical services, the different types of EMS agencies, and what qualifies as life-saving medications and blood products.

Relevant Companies

None found.