Bill > HR3443

This bill introduces the "When Minutes Count for Emergency Medical Patients Act," which creates a new payment model for emergency medical services (EMS) and directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to conduct a comprehensive study on emergency medical services. The bill establishes a model that provides supplemental payments to ground and air ambulance services for life-sustaining medications and blood products used in emergency situations. Eligible EMS agencies can apply to participate in the model, with the goal of ensuring sufficient supplies of critical medications like epinephrine, lidocaine, and other essential drugs, as well as blood products. The model will run for at least 5 years and requires participants to collect detailed data on patient outcomes and service quality. Additionally, the bill mandates that MedPAC submit a report to Congress evaluating various aspects of emergency medical services, including the roles of EMS medical directors, the shortage of EMS professionals, quality assurance mechanisms, and potential definitional changes to how emergency medical services are recognized in Medicare regulations. The bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to hospitals about reducing "wall time" (the time patients spend waiting after being handed off from EMS to hospital staff) and to report on the effectiveness of these efforts.

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https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3443/all-info