Medicare Ambulance Rides May No Longer End Up at ER

In a pilot project, the Associated Press reports that Medicare wants to change how it pays for emergency ambulance services to give seniors more options besides going to a hospital emergency department. Options would include going to an urgent care center, a doctor's office, or even treatment at home under supervision of a doctor via telehealth links. If adopted nationwide, the project could save Medicare more than $500 million a year and allow local fire departments and ambulance services to focus the time and energy of first responders on the most serious emergencies. Patients would still retain the option of going to a hospital emergency room if that is their wish. Medicare says it also wants to get state Medicaid programs and private insurance companies interested in the approach.