Medicare Costs For Non-Emergency Ambulance Transport Dropped 77% With Prior Authorization
Medicare costs for repetitive and scheduled non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) trips were 77% lower when prior authorization techniques were used. The reduction in NEMT costs reduced total Medicare expenditures by 2.4% per beneficiary per year. There was no clear evidence that prior authorization impaired beneficiary health outcomes.
These outcomes were attributed to the Medicare Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transport (RSNAT) Prior Authorization Model. Medicare implemented the RSNAT model in the first eight states and District of Columbia in 2014 and 2015. Outcomes in the RSNAT states were compared to 13 non-RSNAT states with comparable populations. The . . .