Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) Model Webinar

A webinar will be hosted by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s (Innovation Center) Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model team on 27 Feb 2019.

ET3 is a voluntary, five-year payment model that will provide greater flexibility to ambulance care teams to address emergency health care needs of Medicare beneficiaries following a 911 call. Under the ET3 model, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will pay participating ambulance suppliers and providers:

• Transport an individual to a hospital emergency department (ED) or other destination covered under the regulations
• Transport to an alternative destination (such as a primary care doctor’s office or an urgent care clinic)
• Provide treatment in place with a qualified health care practitioner, either on the scene or connected using telehealth

As a result, the ET3 model aims to improve quality and lower costs by reducing avoidable transports to the ED and unnecessary hospitalizations following those transports.

Currently, Medicare regulations only allow payment for emergency ground ambulance services when individuals are transported to hospitals, critical access hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and dialysis centers. Most beneficiaries who call 911 with a medical emergency are therefore transported to one of these facilities, and most often to a hospital ED, even when a lower-acuity destination may more appropriately meet an individual’s needs.

The webinar will include a timeline for release of the Request for Applications and the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

EMS providers, beneficiaries and other interested parties are invited to attend the webinar. Click here to register.