Legislation S.8486-C/A.9102-C Relates to Medicaid Reimbursement for Treatment in Place and Transportation to Alternative Health Care Settings by Ground Ambulance Services

Legislation S.6226-A/A.5789-A Provides For Availability of Ambulance Services and Advanced Life Support First Response Services to Store and Distribute Blood and Initiate and Administer Blood Transfusions

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a legislative package to ensure equitable access to essential health care and reaffirm New York’s commitment to safeguarding public health and improving patient outcomes across communities.

“My Administration is committed to addressing health care disparities in our State and ensuring all New Yorkers can access the care that they need and deserve,” Governor Hochul said. “This legislation ensures essential treatment and transportation, and allows New Yorkers to focus on their well-being during an emergency rather than worrying about the financial cost or availability of critical health care when they need it most.”

Legislation S.8486-C/A.9102-C requires Medicaid reimbursement for ambulance services when treatment in place is administered and/or when transportation is provided to alternative health care settings instead of a general hospital

Legislation S.6226-A/A.5789-A authorizes ground ambulance and advanced life support first response services to store and distribute blood and initiate and administer blood transfusions, mirroring authorizations provided to air ambulance services.

State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Across New York State, EMS providers are in crisis, facing severe challenges that threaten their ability to stay open, from inadequate reimbursement to onerous rules that prevent them from delivering life-saving care as demand for their services grows. I’m proud that two of our bills directly addressing these issues are now law, finally ensuring EMS will get paid for care they’re not currently reimbursed for, like on-site treatment, telemedicine, and specialized transport to mental health facilities and allowing ground ambulances to carry and administer blood transfusions to trauma patients in all emergency situations, not just between hospitals. EMS is a pillar of our healthcare system, especially in rural and medically underserved areas where getting to a hospital can take over an hour. These bills will immediately strengthen EMS and save lives, and I thank the governor for signing them into law.”

Assemblymember Anna Kelles said, “Emergency Medical Services provide essential life saving care throughout the state including direct aid both on site and in transit to a medical facility. These services are especially critical in rural areas where access to hospitals may be hours away. I am grateful to Governor Hochul for signing this bill on Sep 18th, and taking a large step towards reimbursing these brave, dedicated healthcare providers. Providing them with discretion to determine the emergency location that will best serve their patience’s needs not only is common sense, but it also provides a more efficient delivery of emergency services.”

Assemblymember Carrie Woerner said, “Simply put, authorizing the storage of blood for the administering of transfusions on ambulances will save lives. After listening to the critical concerns of First Responders and Medical Emergency caregivers in my district, I worked to provide a legislative, life-saving solution. I'm truly thankful for Governor Hochul's support of public health and her focus on improving access to quality care in our state.”

NYSAC President Benjamin Boykin II said, “On Sep 18th, Governor Hochul is responding to the urgent calls of New York’s EMS providers by signing legislation that will give them the funding and flexibility they need to save lives. Across the state, we’ve seen ambulance wait times increase as EMS providers grapple with rising costs, high demand for increasingly complex services, and outdated Medicaid requirements that only reimburse EMS providers when they transport a patient to a hospital. By signing the Treatment in Place bill into law, Governor Hochul is empowering EMS providers to provide patients with the care they need at the scene, or transport them to more appropriate locations like mental health clinics, substance abuse facilities, or urgent care, without being financially penalized. Counties commend Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for their commitment to strengthening supporting EMS in New York State.”

New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association Legislative Committee Chairperson Steven Kroll said, “The Governor and Legislature have made a multi-year commitment to improvements and investments in emergency medical services. The New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association is grateful to Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for enacting these new laws that will improve emergency medical services throughout New York State. EMTs and Paramedics are the first health professionals that people see when they are ill and injured and these new laws give EMS clinicians more tools to care for their communities. The Treat-In-Place law will allow efficient and effective use of health care resources through provider payment when EMS services provide patient-centered care without ambulance transportation to the hospital. The ground ambulance blood transfusion law will quickly bring lifesaving transfusions to patients with serious injuries. Both new laws demonstrate New York’s commitment to being a leader in emergency medical service innovation and quality.”

New York State EMS Council Chair Mike McEvoy said, “Reimbursement of ambulance services for care provided without a hospital transport or for transport to clinics, urgent care centers, or other non-hospital destinations, will improve accessibility to emergency care for New Yorkers while also significantly reducing costs. Before a patient with significant bleeding reaches a hospital, blood administration may be the difference between life and death. Governor Hochul is to be commended by the people of New York and our emergency medical services for signing these two pieces of legislation that will save lives.”

United New York Ambulance Network Chairperson, Rockland Paramedic Services Executive Director, and Rockland Mobile Care CEO Timothy P. Egan said, “The United New York Ambulance Network (UNYAN) thanks Governor Kathy Hochul for enacting these laws. They will have a tremendous impact on the emergency medical system and overall healthcare of New Yorkers. The Treatment in Place / Transport to Alternate Destination law will ensure ambulance service providers are reimbursed for the care they provide to every Medicaid patient in every scenario, boosting EMS and the overall healthcare system. The ground ambulance blood transfusion law will significantly improve patient outcomes and survival rates of traumatically injured patients across New York State. We are deeply grateful to Governor Hochul and the Department of Health for recognizing the importance of these two bills and making them a reality.”

Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics & Inspectors-FDNY President Oren Barzilay said, “On behalf of our over 4000 members we applaud the Governor signing these two excellent EMS bills. These bills will help EMS providers stem financial losses from handling calls where members treat patients in the field or at home without having to transport to a hospital which may be many miles away in parts of New York. Giving us the ability to carry whole blood on many of our ambulances and do transfusions in the field has been proven to save lives when seconds count. This is a brilliant piece of legislation. We commend Governor Hochul for her foresight in approving these two important pieces of legislation.”