Wiki Ambulance Billing for 2 patients in 1 trip

[dawnha1]

I have a ambulance service that sometimes are called to a scene and there are multiple patients that need taken to the hospital. How do you bill for 2 or 3 patients in the same ambulance being transported to the hospital at the same time? Is it legal to bill both for BLS/ASL (whichever it is) transport and the mileage?

 

[CodingKing]

Yes its legal to charge for each patient separately. Here is some information from Medicare - https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Ed...k-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM6621.pdf.

The following is from the Medicare Claims Processing Manual. May differ by payer. My previous employer (payer) aligned with the medicare reimbursement policy

https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/bp102c10.pdf

10.3.10 - Multiple Patient Ambulance Transport (Rev. 103; Issued: 02-20-09; Effective Date: 01-05-09; Implementation Date: 03- 20-09)

Effective April 1, 2002, if two patients are transported to the same destination simultaneously, for each Medicare beneficiary, Medicare will allow 75 percent of the payment allowance for the base rate applicable to the level of care furnished to that beneficiary plus 50 percent of the total mileage payment allowance for the entire trip.

If three or more patients are transported to the same destination simultaneously, then the payment allowance for the Medicare beneficiary (or each of them) is equal to 60 percent of the base rate applicable to the level of care furnished to the beneficiary. However, a single payment allowance for mileage will be prorated by the number of patients onboard.

This policy applies to both ground and air transports