TN EMS Director Donna Tidwell has shared a CDC guideline (algorithm) update along with a power point that can be used for training responders.
PowerPoint – EVD for Emergency Responders rev 10.24
Ebola Patient Guidance EMS Algorithm REVISED 10-31-14
Share this informative YouTube video by Dr. Corey Slovis for with law enforcement personnel – Ebola training for Law Enforcement
Dear Tennessee Ambulance Service Association,
Hello, my name is Leila Fuleihan and I work with the Field Human Resources team here at Doctors Without Borders. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe.
The November TASA Board meeting date has been changed to Wednesday November 12 at 10 am in room 210 at the Music City Center in conjunction with the EMS World Expo.
The Upper Cumberland EMS Director’s Association’s Fall Symposium will be held October 11th-13th, 2017 at the Clarion Inn Conference Center in Cookeville, TN.
Cost is $100.00.
TASA Board members visited with legislators in Washington D.C. last Monday and Tuesday to discuss changing federal code that will assist in allowing early retirement in Tennessee.
Currently law enforcement and firefighters are the only public safety personnel who are allowed to participate in the 25 years/55 years of age program within TCRS. Federal code change is required before addressing the issue on the State and local level.
Board members visited with Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander along with Congressional representatives; Marsha Blackburn, Chuck Fleischmann, Phil Roe, Scott Desjarlais and Diane Black. Each legislator and their staff expressed their support in changing the necessary federal code. TASA expects this legislation to be introduced during the next session due to fact legislators are currently wrapping up the current session.
Once the code is changed, TASA will immediately work with State legislators to implement the 25/55 early retirement for TCRS. After passage on the State level, local governments will have the option to participate – as this is not a mandate.
It is important to note that the federal code change will not only benefit Tennessee and TCRS, but it will also open the opportunities for other states and non-governmental retirement systems.
Bradley County EMS has been diligently working on this issue for several years and TASA is proud to join them in helping to make this very needed change.
Each year the American Ambulance Association awards a member of Congress with the American Ambulance Association Legislative Award. This award goes to the Congressperson who displays support and concern for issues that are of importance to ambulance service providers. This years’ recipient is Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. The American Ambulance Association would like to express its thanks to Congresswoman Blackburn for the support she has given over the last and the continued support in the future.
The American Ambulance Association asked that the Tennessee Ambulance Service Association (TASA) to present this award to Congresswoman Blackburn. The award was presented on August 20, 2014 at Camden General Hospital. TASA representative Joyce Noles presented the award.
For those services who have paid their 2014-15 TASA membership dues, please email secretary@tennesseeambulance.com to receive you discount code for the EMS World Expo in Nashville November 9 – 13, 2014.
After you ontain your code – go to EMSWorldExpo.com and enter your TASA code to receive either a free exhibit hall pass (value $30.00) or use it save $100.00 off the 3 day conference.
I am extremely happy to report that yesterday, Congressmen Greg Walden (R-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Richard Neal (D-MA) introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act of 2014 (H.R. 5460). The bill would make permanent beginning on April 1, 2015 the current temporary Medicare 2% urban, 3% rural and super rural add-on payments. We greatly appreciate Congressmen Walden, Welch, Nunes and Neal leading the charge in the House for desperately needed permanent Medicare ambulance relief.
In addition to making the current relief permanent, H.R. 5460 would 1) implement prior authorization for BLS non-emergency ambulance transports to and from dialysis centers, 2) change the status of ambulance service suppliers to providers, and 3) direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to collect ambulance cost data using a survey methodology. The plan is to attach the language of H.R. 5460 to a permanent fix to the physician fee schedule should Congress address the issue during a lame duck session after the elections. We will distribute a final copy of H.R. 5460 when it becomes available.
H.R. 5460 is a comprehensive legislative package to address many of the challenges facing our industry as well as establish the basis for future efforts of the AAA in improving the Medicare ambulance fee schedule. The provision on prior authorization will be an additional burden on ambulance service providers who do legitimate dialysis transports but is far better than further cuts in reimbursement. Surveying every three years a statistically significant number of the different types of ambulance service providers will also be a burden for those providers selected to participate. However, the alternative to the survey approach is mandatory annual cost reporting for every ambulance service provider. It is critical that Congress, CMS and the AAA have more precise cost information to make future data-driven policy and reimbursement changes to the fee schedule.
This is the most significant legislation on Medicare reimbursement and policy since the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and the creation of the Medicare ambulance fee schedule. To get the language of H.R. 5460 enacted, we will need the assistance of every AAA member representative in getting support for the bill from his or her members of Congress. We will therefore be issuing a Call To Action next week and I ask that you make it a priority to contact your Congressmen.
Due to the significance of this legislation, the AAA will be devoting a session to it at the 2014 AAA Annual Conference and Trade Show in Las Vegas. The session, “Health Care and Payment Reform”, is scheduled for Monday, November 17, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information on the AAA Annual Conference, please go to: http://www.the-aaa.org/
In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding H.R. 5460, please contact AAA Vice President of Government Affairs Tristan North at tnorth@the-aaa.org.
From: Jimmy Johnson, AAA President
DON’T WAIT – BOOK YOUR ROOM TODAY!!!!
If you are planning to stay at the Inn at Opryland during the Reimbursement/Compliance Conference – you MUST make your reservations BEFORE September 16 at 8am. Rooms are going quickly – don’t be left out!!!
After this deadline the hotel will be releasing the blocked rooms for the general public, which we have been assured there is a large demand for hotel rooms for that time frame. The chances of getting a room AFTER the deadline is almost zero. If you are lucky enough to get a room after the reservations deadline, the price will be significantly higher than the group rate.
Please see the attached memo from TennCare regarding the 1% reimbursement reduction. The original proposed reduction was 2% however 1% was bought back with one-time appropriations for FY 2015. The proposed 2% reduction will be reinstated for FY 2016 unless additional appropriations are provided to buy back the reductions in whole or in part.
