Most Frequently Asked Questions in Ambulance Billing

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Most Frequently Asked Questions in Ambulance
Billing

• When it comes to emergency medical services (EMS)
  there are a lot of questions people ask. In most
  cases, folks do not follow up because, after all,
  they are in some sort of emergency and tend to
  forget about the questions popping up in their
  minds once the emergency is passed.
•  
• Here are a few such questions complied with the
  answers comprising the FAQs in EMS or Ambulance
  Billing
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• Is it absolutely necessary for the District to
  charge ambulance fees?
• In order to provide uniform services to all the
  residents by keeping the cost of emergency
  medical services affordable. It is the Fire and
  EMS Department that has been charging uniform
  rates of ambulance fees for the past so many
  years (with periodic increases where applicable).
  This was done so that the tax costs could be kept
  down to benefit all residents and visitors
  equally. Taxes play an important part in funding
  such services, and the rest is taken care of by
  insurance companies. However, taxes can never be
  used as the only source of funding for such
  services.

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Most Frequently Asked Questions in Ambulance
Billing
2. Is there any particular type of transport?
What are the prescribed fees? The Fire and EMS
Department all over the country have to follow
the fee schedule fixed by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as
prescribed in the Federal Register. The
variations will be there when additional services
like providing oxygen. Otherwise, it is the same
for providing basic life support services. The
fees charged will be slightly higher when
advanced life support services are provided. When
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) procedure and
multiple medications are provided, the service
extended becomes advanced life support at a
different level, and the charges are
proportionately higher. 3. If a fire truck comes
along with the ambulance, is there an extra
charge? The answer is an emphatic no, the Fire
and EMS Department is supposed to charge only for
ambulance services, and that is what it does.
Fire trucks respond to calls reporting a fire,
which is usually conveyed through a 911 call,
hence no fee is charged for such services. Even
after summoning an ambulance a person responds to
emergency treatment and chooses not to travel by
ambulance, he or she is not charged.
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Most Frequently Asked Questions in Ambulance
Billing
4. Does one have to reveal personal details to
the ambulance crew? The ambulance crew will
definitely ask for personal information, which
can be revealed by you. The reason this
information is asked is to establish your
identity and to ensure no fraud occurs. As the
Fire and EMS Department charges fees the
ambulance crew is expected to verify the
identity, which includes name, social security
number, home address, telephone number, and birth
date as well. If the crew asks for insurance
details or employment details if the situation
warrants it, you need to provide the
information. 5. Will the ambulance fee be paid
by the health insurance company? In most cases,
the health insurance pays for the ambulance
charges. People who are covered by Medicare or
Medicaid will never incur out-of-pocket expenses
in relation to ambulance charges. However, those
who are covered by private healthcare insurance
may have to pay co-pay or at least deductible
expenses. If not covered by insurance the full
ambulance fee has to be paid.
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Most Frequently Asked Questions in Ambulance
Billing
These are some of the answers to questions that
can help you sail through the ocean of Ambulance
Billing and assist in ensuring a flawless billing
process. Medical Billers and Coders (MBC) is a
leading medical billing company providing
complete revenue cycle services. To know more
about our Ambulance billing services, contact us
at info_at_medicalbillersandcoders.com/888-357-3226.