The Beverly Hills Fire Department is taking part in a new nationwide Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) pilot program. Developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), ET3 is designed to expand patient access to the most appropriate emergency medical transport services. Significantly, Beverly Hills was one of only five fire agencies in the state selected to participate in ET3. (The others are the City and County of San Francisco, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Downieville Fire Protection District and the Los Angeles Fire Department.)
According to officials at CMS, the impetus for the program is to provide flexibility and cost-savings to Medicare recipients who call for emergency ground ambulance services. “Most beneficiaries who call 911 with a medical emergency are transported to a hospital emergency department, even when a lower-acuity destination may be more appropriate,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. Through ET3, Medicare will now reimburse for transporting patients to alternative destinations (such as a primary care doctor’s office or an urgent care clinic), or to initiate and facilitate treatment in place by a qualified health care practitioner, either in-person on the scene or via telehealth.
