Committee approves bill allowing EMS reimbursement for treatment without transport

The Senate Insurance & Commerce Committee voted to pass House Bill 1261 as amended, a measure that would allow emergency medical services (EMS) to receive reimbursement when they treat a patient on scene and do not transport the patient to an emergency department.

Representative Lee Johnson, sponsor for the bill, told the committee that under current state practice “the only way they can get paid is if they'll put the patient in the in the ambulance and take them to the emergency department.” He said the bill creates a path for negotiated reimbursement for treating in place and for transporting patients to lower-acuity destinations when appropriate.

Why it matters: Johnson said many 911 calls do not result in transport — “depending on the ambulance service, anywhere from 25 to 30% of the calls they receive, they end up treating the patient's [on scene] and leaving the patient there.” He also said about one-third of 911 calls are behavioral-health related, and the bill would allow on-scene telehealth with physicians for medical complaints or with behavioral-health specialists for behavioral-health calls.

The amendment the committee adopted before final passage added Senator Boyd as a cosponsor and included agreed language clarified after discussions with insurance companies and providers, which the sponsor said addressed implementation concerns. During debate Senator Irvin noted the fiscal-impact statement’s conclusion that expected utilization is low and that increased covered ambulance services “will likely be offset by savings realized because of treatment triage to less costly service areas.”

Committee action: The amendment was adopted by voice vote. Multiple senators were added as cosponsors by voice amendment. With no members of the public appearing for or against the bill, the committee passed HB 1261 as amended by voice vote.

Next steps: The committee forwarded HB 1261 as amended; no formal roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. Representative Lee Johnson and supporters said the Department of Human Services worked with the sponsor and supports the bill.