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American Medical Response Northwest AMR, the nation's leading medical transportation company |
American Medical Response Northwest
Georgia Katsirubas, American Medical Response Account Executive - 503-793-8240
PO Box 15339, Portland, OR 97293-5339
www.amr.net
email: American Medical Response Northwest
AMR serves more communities and customers than any other private
ambulance service provider in the nation. AMR employees also participate
in the communities where they live and work. As medical service providers
and as neighbors, your needs are our concerns.
AMR's nearly 18,000 paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), nurses, doctors and support staff combine the strength of a national company with personalized care.
AMR's national headquarters, located in Greenwood Village, Colorado, supports more than 250 community-based AMR operations nationwide. From Miami to Seattle and hundreds of communities in between, AMR is ready to care for people and communities in need.
Our focus is clear, as stated in our company's values: Patient Focused, Customer Centered, Caregiver Inspired. We live these values on every call, in every community, every day.
From emergency 9-1-1 calls and non-emergency transports to specialized medical teams that serve remote wilderness areas and more, AMR has the strength to provide patients and customers with the right service at the right time. Our national reach and extensive experience allow us to deliver a wide range of services to communities as well, from managing entire emergency medical systems to private-public partnerships that best serve an area's needs.
Understanding your needs. Offering the best solutions. That's our business. That's our promise.
Non-Emergency Transportation Services that meet our customers needs
AMR wants to be your first choice for non-emergency transportation services.
At AMR we ask our customers what they want and need and create innovative solutions to meet those needs. As the industry leader, AMR offers:
A single source for all non-emergent medical transportation- Fast, friendly and courteous service
- AMR matches patient needs with appropriate transportation resources
- Quick and reliable responses to transportation requests - including managing the flow of patient traffic
- AMR tracks key performance indicators to ensure we consistently exceed our customer's service expectations
- Solutions to help reduce increasing medical transportation expenses
- Specialized reports including detailed performance, capabilities and utilization reports
- AMR ensures that patient health insurance benefits are fully utilized
AMR offers a variety of integrated ambulance services to hospitals, hospital networks and nursing homes across the country including:
- Non Emergent Transportation (NET) Brokerage- AMR is a national leader in large-scale medical transportation program management. AMR ensures that eligible recipients receive timely service with the most appropriate level of transportation that's within their allowable benefits. Additionally, AMR manages the transportation network and pays individual transportation providers, screens for fraud and abuse, and provides customers with a single invoice to review. Our significant experience with capitated, fee-for-service and other financial arrangements lets us structure agreements that give customers a predictable NET budget.
- Basic Life Support (BLS) - AMR's BLS units provide a valuable community resource for patients requiring non-emergency transportation.
- Advanced Life Support (ALS) - AMR provides inter-facility ALS transport where allowed.
- Critical Care Transport (CCT) - AMR is a leading provider of CCT services. We staff both paramedic-level and registered nurse-level CCT units. AMR's CCT-RN units are designed to provide a level of care comparable with a hospital intensive care unit.
- Neonatal and Pediatric Team Ambulance Transports - For transports that require highly skilled medical responses, AMR will bring a medical team from the health care facility to the scene and provide specialized equipment such as incubators and clinical assistance, then transfer the patient and medical team back to the receiving facility.
- AMR also provides the following service options at various operations throughout the United States:
- Wheelchair Van Services - Staffed by specially trained attendants to ensure the health care needs of mobility impaired individuals are met.
- On-site Industrial Health Care - AMR contracts with businesses to provide on-site emergency medical services that can reduce lost work time by eliminating unnecessary medical transports.
- Standby Contracts and On-site Medical Staffing - Medical standby and on-site mobile staffing for local events such as fairs and community festivals as well as large entertainment venues including stadiums and arenas.
- 24-hour Medical Call-Taking and Dispatch Services - AMR operates local and regional medical dispatch centers in many of our service areas equipped with technologically advanced computer-aided dispatch systems, including satellite-based vehicle tracking.
- Community Education - Our experts teach CPR, first aid and other life-saving skills to the public in the communities we serve. In addition, we often sponsor community preparedness events and offer health-screening services, including blood pressure and glucose checks.
- Transportation Provider Network and Claims Management - AMR has experience developing and managing comprehensive nationwide medical transportation provider networks. If gaps exist in service areas, we work cooperatively with competitors to create seamless hospital transportation delivery systems and manage corresponding claims.
AMR provides personalized medical transportation solutions that meet your needs. Our goal is to help your organization grow.
Our Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation services are consistently rated higher for patient care.
AMR caregivers provide dependable, compassionate, high-quality care. And we ensure HIPAA compliance for all inter-facility transports.
AMR's Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Services are considered the best in the industry. As the largest medical transportation solutions provider in the United States, AMR offers a wide variety of benefits to skilled nursing facilities including:
- Compliance with HIPAA and other government regulations to ensure patient record confidentiality
- Active participation in the American Ambulance Association, with many of our executives serving as board members
- AMR's Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) program is led by a board-certified emergency physician
In a customer survey, frontline staff at nursing homes and other skilled nursing facilities ranked AMR higher overall than ther ambulance operations for accessibility, patient care and dependability. AMR offers customers and patients respect, compassion, responsiveness, reliability and integrity you can trust.
Answers to your Patient Billing Questions
It's normal to feel anxious when you need medical transportation. Our caregivers help ease those feelings when they administer care. Our Patient Business Service professionals do the same for patients and customers who have questions about the billing process.
Why Does AMR Require Signature Authorization Before Treatment
and Transport?
All patients are required to provide signatures that acknowledge
consent for treatment and transportation, provide authorization
to submit a bill on their behalf, assign their benefits to AMR
allowing their medical insurance carrier to pay AMR directly,
and acknowledge receipt of AMR's Privacy Policy. AMR cannot submit
a claim to a medical insurance carrier without a signed authorization
from the patient or guardian. Failure to provide a signed authorization
will require AMR to seek payment directly from the patient or
guarantor.
How do Private Ambulance Services Differ From Public Ambulance
Services?
Unlike some other public services that are supported by tax revenue,
private ambulance services are funded by user fees. Taxpayers
fund public services such as fire and police protection whether
they use those services or not. Private ambulance services are
typically not subsidized by tax revenue and rely solely on user
fees. Under a private ambulance service system, you only pay
for those services when you use them.
In many jurisdictions across the country, local emergency medical services agencies have contracted AMR to provide emergency paramedic and ambulance transportation service. When patients call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency in one of these communities, AMR responds to the call even though the agency may have another name.
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Does My Insurance Cover Non-Emergency Services?
AMR provides comprehensive non-emergency transportation services
to patients who need to be safely transported from one location
to another. Insurance plans may cover medically necessary non-emergency
transports, but your insurance carrier will determine whether
or not ambulance transportation meets their medical necessity
criteria. It is important to check with your insurance provider
to determine the specific requirements for payment related to
non-emergency transportation.
Medicare Coverage: Emergency Ambulance Transportation
In general, Medicare will cover medically necessary ambulance
transportation to the nearest appropriate medical facility. Emergency
ambulance transportation may qualify for Medicare coverage if
the transport is a result of a sudden onset of a medical condition
manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity such
that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably
be expected to result in placing the patient's health in serious
jeopardy, impairment to bodily function or serious dysfunction
to any bodily organ or part. Medicare requires that ambulance
transportation be medically necessary and reasonable. To be medically
necessary, Medicare requires that the use of any other method
of transportation would be hazardous to the patient's health.
Medicare Coverage: Non-Emergency Ambulance Transportation
In general, Medicare will not pay for non-emergency ambulance
service unless the patient is unable to get out of bed without
assistance and unable to walk, unable to sit in a chair or wheelchair,
and/or that transportation by any other means would pose a hazard
to the patient's health. Medicare will not pay for ambulance
transportation to a preferred hospital or facility that is not
the nearest appropriate facility or for the convenience of the
patient, the family or physician. Medicare does not pay for wheelchair,
stretcher or gurney transportation.
For both emergency and non-emergency transportation service, Medicare will pay 80 percent of their allowable rate. The remaining 20 percent will be due from the patient or the patient's secondary insurance carrier. As a courtesy, AMR will submit a claim to the secondary insurance carrier on the patient's behalf but the patient is responsible for assuring timely payment by their secondary insurance carrier.
What does Medicaid Cover?
Medicaid is a program funded by the state that provides medical
insurance to assist patients who qualify under the program. The
coverage of medical services varies from state to state and patients
should check with their Medicaid program to understand coverage
criteria for ambulance transportation. In general, Medicaid programs
require that all ambulance transportation meet the specific medical
necessity criteria established for their state.
What Does Insurance Cover?
Ambulance transportation coverage varies from insurance policy
to policy. It is important to review your insurance coverage
to understand the limitations and requirements of your coverage.
It may be necessary to obtain a prior authorization from your
insurance carrier when scheduling non-emergency transportation
services. If your policy does not provide 100 percent coverage
for ambulance transportation, you may be required to pay a deductible
or co-payment as outlined in your insurance policy. Payment of
all deductibles and co-payments are due immediately upon receipt
of the bill.
What If No Coverage Exists?
If a patient does not have insurance coverage, the bill for AMR
services will be due directly from the patient. Payment is due
within thirty (30) days of receipt of the invoice. AMR accepts
personal checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
Patients can also make payment by phone by contacting AMR's National
Call Center at (800) 913-9106.
How Does AMR Establish Rates?
AMR's rates are competitive for your community and meet all applicable
local, state and federal limitations. Ambulance provider fees
typically include a base charge for the transport, a mileage
fee and charges for other procedures, supplies or medications
administered.
For additional information please visit our website or contact our headquarters in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
American Medical Response Northwest
AMR, the nation's leading medical transportation company
American Medical Response Northwest
PO Box 15339, Portland, OR 97293-5339
www.amr.net
email: American Medical Response Northwest
Corporate Headquarters:
American Medical Response - National Resource Center
6200 South Syracuse Way # 200, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Main number: 303-495-1200
Toll free number: 877-244-4890
Sales/Marketing toll free: 800-267-8394
www.amr.net