Both agree to hire AAA Medicare specialist

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KAPA and IAA join to resolve Medicare crisis

Both agree to hire American Ambulance Association's Medicare specialist

By MICHAEL SWIFT

President, Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association

ELIZABETHTOWN — In a history making move, the Kentucky Ambulance Providers

Association and the Indiana Ambulance Association agreed to join together in

their efforts to resolve an ongoing Medicare reimbursement crisis that has

plagued both states' providers and threatens to close as many as three ambulance

providers in Eastern Kentucky by the end of the week.

Meeting in town yesterday, the KAPA Board of Directors joined by Jerry

Key of the Indiana Ambulance Association jointly agreed to hire Werfel, a

nationally known Medicare expert affiliated with the American Ambulance

Association. It is hoped that Werfel will be able to expedite both state

association's efforts to bring about a speedy resolution of what providers see

as an ongoing and lingering impasse with AdminaStar-Federal, Inc.

The KAPA Board of Directors along with the Indiana Ambulance Association agreed

to share the cost of Werfel's fees and related expenses.

Werfel and the presidents of both KAPA and IAA will meet with management

representatives from AdminaStar and HCFA's Chicago and Atlanta Regional Offices

in Louisville to discuss ongoing reimbursement issues from both states in early

February. Werfel will then meet with a historical combined meeting of the Board

of Directors of KAPA and the IAA in Louisville to discuss various options. The

reimbursement crisis that began in early June of 2000 is now entering its

seventh month.

Through the coordination of Kentucky's Lt. Governor, L. Henry, MD,

AdminaStar will begin a series of educational seminars for Kentucky's ambulance

providers at five different locations across the state beginning on Wednesday

and concluding on Monday. Sites include Hazard, Lexington, Gilbertsville,

Owensboro and Louisville. In addition to billing agency staffs and field staff

supervisors, the Lt. Governor is also planning to attend.

In other action, the KAPA Board unanimously approved a recommendation to the

Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services to pass and submit as an emergency

regulation Kentucky's existing ground ambulance regulations including the

current diversion provisions for Louisville and Jefferson County. If KBEMS

approves KAPA's recommendation, it is hoped that the Governor will sign a host

of emergency regulations including a new streamlined Senate Bill 66 grant

application that will allow Kentucky's financially strapped providers to be

considered and approved for state monies for eligible items.

Once the existing EMS regulations, including the ground ambulance regulations,

are signed as emergency regulations by the Governor, the on-going process of

revising the EMS regulations can begin according to Kentucky's legislative

process and the intent of HB405.