Kelles-Sponsored EMS Legislation Signed Into Law

New York State Assemblymember Anna Kelles announced on Wednesday that her Medicaid reimbursement bill was signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

A.9102-C requires that Medicaid provides reimbursement for ambulance services that treat or transport people to health care facilities instead of general hospitals. This includes telemedicine deemed necessary and approved by Medicaid. Prior to this bill, reimbursements were limited to only transporting patients to emergency rooms at hospitals, where it becomes problematic in rural areas or high-traffic urban areas.

“Emergency Medical Services provide essential life saving care throughout the state including direct aid both on site and in transit to a medical facility,” said Kelles. “Providing them with discretion to determine the emergency location that will best serve their patients’ needs is not only common sense, but it also provides a more efficient delivery of emergency services.”

The other piece of legislation in the package, A.5789-A, authorizes the storage and distribution of blood in ambulances and advanced life support services. This mirrors the authorizations of air ambulances and provides an extra option for EMS to treat their patients.