What are Medicare regulations for hospice patients who are transported by ambulance? When is a hospice responsible for the ambulance transport of a hospice patient?
The Medicare Benefit Policy Manual (CMS Pub. 100-02, Ch. 9, section 40.1.9) was updated with Change Request 6778 (Transmittal 121), issued February 5, 2010, to clarify the responsibility of ambulance transports for hospice patients. This section states “Ambulance transports which occur on the effective date of the hospice election (i.e. the date of admission) would occur prior to the initial assessment and therefore prior to the plan of care’s development. As such, these transports are not the responsibility of the hospice. Medicare will pay for ambulance transports of hospice patients which occur on the effective date of hospice election through the ambulance benefit rather than through the hospice benefit.
