EMS-oriented groups continue to lobby on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and other major capitols to improve EMS reimbursement rates. Although we remain hopeful that government change will work in our favor, EMS administrators and managers continue to negotiate rates with private insurance companies and look for ways to increase billing efficiency. After all, what kind of EMS administrator or manager wouldn’t want faster and higher reimbursement on EMS insurance claims?

The EMS industry has a knack for using acronyms! We love to have an alphabet soup set of letters represent something important. The problem with that is, not all of the acronyms are common within the medical industry. MLS is not a standardized acronym for Multi-Level Stretcher although that comes together kind of nicely. ePCRs, purposefully only permit standardized medical acronyms which, while it can be frustrating to the MAF, multiple acronym fan, creates a much better medical document that can be used by other healthcare providers along the healthcare continuum as they treat the patient.

The holy grail of successful ambulance billing is an efficient EMS workflow that includes the entire ambulance service staff, from dispatch to first responders, EMTs, and medics to billers, all working together, and all on the same page. Clearly, open and effective communications, and EMS workflow between these key EMS operational areas will minimize the amount of time between dispatch, patient care and transport, billing, and receiving payment for services rendered.