The Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport model will begin Jan. 1, CMS announced Sept. 16.
Three things to know about the payment model:
1. The five-year model aims to give ambulance care teams more flexibility in how they triage emergencies. Its goal is to improve care and cut costs by reducing unnecessary hospital visits for low-acuity emergencies that do not require a trip to the hospital.
2. Medicare now pays for emergency ambulance services when beneficiaries are taken to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and dialysis centers. Under the ET3 model, Medicare will reimburse for transport to an urgent care clinic or primary care office, or for providing care in place or using telehealth.
3. CMS selected 205 participants in February for the ET3 model. They will receive a revised participation agreement in mid-October, according to the American Hospital Association.
Read more about the ET3 model here.