Ambulances Services Center

Spotlights

Attention:  Ground Ambulance Organizations Selected in Year 1 and Year 2 that are Required to Report Under the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS):

Selected ground ambulance organizations in Year 1 and Year 2 are required to collect data beginning in 2022 and report beginning in 2023 (within 5 months after your data collection period ends).  We are pleased to announce that the system you will use to report your data, the GADCS portal, was deployed on December 30, 2022 and is now live.  Please refer to this document for more information on how to access the system:  Quick Tips on Registration and Requesting Access to the GADCS Portal.

Ambulance Fee Schedule: Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Ambulance Inflation Factor & Productivity Adjustment

The Ambulance Inflation Factor for CY 2023 is 8.7%. For more information, see the instruction to your Medicare Administrative Contractor (PDF).

2 Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Final Rules About Ambulance Services:

CY 2023 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2022-23873/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-cy-2023-payment-policies-under-the-physician-fee-schedule-and-other

CMS finalized a series of changes to the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System. First, we updated our regulations at § 414.626(d)(1) and (e)(2) to provide the necessary flexibility to specify how ground ambulance organizations should submit the hardship exemption requests and informal review requests, including to our web-based portal once that portal is operational. Second, we  finalized further changes and clarifications to the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Instrument.

CY 2023 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center final rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2022-23918/medicare-program-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-and-ambulatory-surgical-center-payment

CMS finalized its proposals to include REHs as a covered origin and destination for ambulance transport under the Ambulance Fee Schedule and that a REH that owns and operates an ambulance transportation may enroll in Medicare as an ambulance provider and receive payment under the Ambulance Fee Schedule if all coverage and payment requirements are met.

Updated Information on the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS):

CMS has posted the following documents:

1. GADCS User Guide that walks you through the GADCS. 
2. Lists of Year 3 and Year 4 selected ground ambulance organizations. These organizations will receive notification letters via email and regular mail from their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) starting in December 2022.
3. Revised Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Instrument which includes the changes that were finalized in the CY 2023 PFS Final Rule.
4. Revised Facilities and Vehicle Templates.  We revised the templates that we presented on our August 4, 2022 webinar.
5. A copy of the Hardship Exemption Request Form.

6. Revised GADCS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.

7. Ground Ambulance Industry Trends, 2017– 2020 Report: Analysis of Medicare Fee-for-Service Claims.

8. Five Top GADCS Tips for Selected Ground Ambulance Organizations in Year 1 and Year 2 that are Required to Report Beginning in January 2023.

Contact Us  

• Subscribe for email updates
• General ambulance inquiries: email AmbulanceODF@cms.hhs.gov
• Ground ambulance data collection inquiries: email AmbulanceDataCollection@cms.hhs.gov. Please include your organization’s name and National Provider Identifier (NPI) in your inquiry.
• Regional office inquiries: email FeeForServiceQuestions@cms.hhs.gov

Upcoming Events

Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System: Question and Answer (Q&A) Session on Thursday, February 23rd, 2022, 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET

To register for this Zoom webinar, visit:  https://cms.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_E1iiKStfTge-I--7te9r6g

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the session.

Do you have questions about the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS)? We are holding a live Q&A session for all ground ambulance organizations and related stakeholders on Thursday, February 23rd, 2022, at 2:00 pm.

Please send questions in advance to AmbulanceDataCollection@cms.hhs.gov with “February 23 Q&A” in the subject line. We will answer questions submitted in advance during the call. Participants may also submit live questions using the “Q&A” button at the bottom of their Zoom screen.

For more information on the GADCS, including lists of ground ambulance organizations required to participate in Years 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the GADCS and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, see CMS’ GADCS webpage.  

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Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System  

Effective January 1, 2020-2024, CMS will select ground ambulance providers and suppliers to participate in the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS). Get more Medicare GADCS information and resources.
 

COVID-19 Information:

• COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare Fee For Service Billing (PDF): See page 48 for Ambulance Services FAQs
• COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers (PDF) : This revised modification to the data collection periods and data reporting periods impacts ground ambulance organizations that CMS selected for Years 1-2 of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System: See page 32
  • Ambulance Treat in Place: See page 33
• Get more resources on COVID-19