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The Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin is proud to announce our 2023 Star of Life recipients. This year, 28 individuals are being recognized as a Wisconsin Star of Life.
Meet Our 2023 Stars
2023 marks our twelfth Wisconsin Stars of Life event. Creating space and opportunity to recognize those who show up for their communities, and share that celebration with their family and friends who support them, is truly a joy.
These 28 dedicated EMS Professionals will be celebrated at a dinner banquet in Madison, WI on October 10, 2023.
We have some positive updates regarding the Wisconsin ambulance assessment initiative.
Over the past months, we have been working with our lobbyist to pass Senate Bill 157 and on August 4, Governor Evers signed the bill into law. This law officially allows federal funding of this program to move through the state to the providers once the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approves the initiative.
To that end, we also reached another milestone in the CMS approval process at the end of June when DHS published an official public notice describing the program. Currently PAAW is working with DHS on the next steps in the process to finalize the program design that will be submitted to CMS. Approval can take a few months depending on any questions CMS may have and if they may ask for changes in the program design. With that said, we have made important progress these last few months on getting this program in place and securing supplemental funding for our industry for years to come.
We will communicate our progress as we work closely with DHS and continue to reach these important milestones.
Dear Ground Ambulance Providers and Suppliers,
Starting January 1, 2023, ground ambulance organizations selected in Year 1 and Year 2 are required to report cost, utilization, revenue, and other information to CMS within 5 months after your data collection period ends. Organizations that fail to report may be subject to a 10% payment reduction.
Ground ambulance organizations selected in Year 3 and Year 4 will begin collecting data in 2023 and reporting data beginning in 2024.
Thursday, April 27 from 2–3 pm ET
Register for this webinar.
We divided the office hours session into 2 topics:
Visit Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System for:
CMS has opened registration for the first set of meetings for the Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee (GAPBAC). The meetings are scheduled for May 2 and 3. To register for the virtual meetings, please click here.
The formal notice of the meetings was posted in today’s Federal Register. To access a copy of the formal notice, please click here.
Our 2022 Wi Star of Life Recipients will be recognized at a welcome reception and dinner to include an awards ceremony in Madison, WI on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 17, 2021
First Responders Thank the Wisconsin Joint Committee on Finance for Their Support of EMS
The Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin (PAAW) would like to thank the members of the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance for their efforts to provide a significant Medicaid rate increase to Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The PAAW board extends its deepest appreciation to Representative Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton), Representative Mark Born (R- Beaver Dam), Representative Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc), Senator Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma), Senator Howard Marklein (R- Spring Green), and Senator Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) for their leadership on this crucial public health and public safety issue.
To secure the increase in the Medicaid reimbursement rate for EMS in Wisconsin, the budget bill must pass both houses of the State Legislature and be signed by Governor Evers.
“Wisconsin’s EMS system is vulnerable right now,” said Chris Anderson, President of PAAW. “The reimbursement levels for mobile healthcare fall far below ambulance providers’ costs of readiness. This has suppressed wages, escalating our workforce shortage and causing delays in service. The action taken by the Joint Finance Committee this week would nearly double our reimbursement rates in 2022. This increase—if passed by the full Legislature and signed by the Governor—would represent a lifeline for our first responders.”
Anderson continued, “EMS proudly served our community with frontline emergency healthcare throughout the COVID-19 pandemic despite extraordinarily challenging circumstances. Between skyrocketing costs for PPE, supplies, and training, coupled with dwindling reimbursement, EMS cannot continue to provide care to every citizen without sustainable reimbursement. We are depending on the support of our elected officials so that your community can continue to depend on us—24/7.”
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About the Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin
The Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin (PAAW) safeguards the future of mobile healthcare through advocacy, thought leadership, and education. PAAW advances sustainable EMS policy, empowering our members to serve communities across the state with high-quality on-demand healthcare. We proudly represent those who care for the people of Wisconsin—first. www.wiambulance.org
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