Save the Date: EMS EVOLUTION 2020 (August 10-12)

Horseshoe Bay Resort

EMS EVOLUTION 2020 will feature a new agenda:

• The leadership track (August 10-12) will feature new presentations.
• The billing/coding course (Tuesday, August 11) will once again feature Gail Atnip of Novitas and Brian Werfel.
• New in 2020: Emerging Leaders Track (Monday, August 10). This new track is designed for emerging leaders in EMS agencies to equip them with the tools necessary to eventually lead an agency.

The Evolution of EMS: Community Paramedicine & Mobile Integrated Health

Interview with Corey Naranjo of Harris County Emergency Corps

Over the past few years, EMS providers have likely heard the more frequent use of terms such as mobile integrated health (MIH), community paramedicine (CP), and community health paramedicine (CHP).  These topics have also gained the interest of EMS leaders, as the nation attempts to slowly move from fee-for-service to a value-based care health care system.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has already made a huge leap forward with the creation of the Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) model.

TEMSA recently sat down with Corey Naranjo of Harris County Emergency Corps (HCEC) to discuss the organization’s community paramedicine work. Corey Naranjo is a community health paramedic and registered nurse with Harris County Emergency Corps (HCEC).

Click here to read the full story.

A Look at EMS Payments

Introducing TEMSA's Public Policy Primer for Lawmakers

To Be Updated with TEMSA's 2021 Legislative Priorities

Attendees at TEMSA's seminar on November 25 received a copy.

The purpose of the primer is to help lawmakers understand how their public policy actions affect Texas EMS agencies. TEMSA will continue to add new public policy issues to this primer as TEMSA approves new legislative priorities for the 2021 Texas Legislature.

Click here to view the online version.

If you would like to invite lawmakers to your EMS agency, TEMSA will help you with communication pieces.

Texas House Announces New Select Committee on Health Care Costs

Rep. Greg Bonnen, MD & Rep. Senfronia Thompson Will Lead It

Rep. Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton), the Speaker of the Texas House, announced earlier this week the creation of the House Select Committee on Statewide Health Care Costs. The committee will be chaired by Rep. Greg Bonnen, MD (R-Friendswood) and co-chaired by Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston).

Other members include:

• Garnet Coleman (D-Houston)
• Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio)
• James Frank (R-Wichita Falls)
• Cody Harris (R-Palestine)
• Cole Hefner (R-Tyler)
• Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth)
• Eddie Lucio III (D-Brownsville)
• Christina Morales (D-Houston)
• Tom Oliverson, MD (R-Spring)

Medical Billing Services to Be Taxed on January 1

Texas Comptroller's Decision

The Texas Comptroller's office announced on November 22 that medical billing services will be taxed beginning on January 1, 2020. Click here to learn more from the Texas Medical Association.

For background, "insurance" is taxable under Texas law, and that is what the Comptroller's office determined in the ruling. Medical billing services were viewed by the Comptroller as taxable insurance claims adjustment or claims processing up until 2002.

In-house billing and non-profits that are recognized as sales tax-exempt by the Comptroller's office would be exempt.

TEMSA will pass along an update on this issue before the end of the year.

Congress Reaches an "Agreement" on Surprise Billing; Action Unlikely in 2019

Ground EMS Is Not Included

U.S. House and Senate negotiators announced a surprise billing agreement on Sunday, and they indicated that they would like to add the agreement to an end-of-year Congressional spending bill. However, any action in 2019 is highly unlikely; the chair of one House committee with jurisdiction over the issue indicated that he had his own proposal.

Congress released a summary of the bill, which can be found here. However, the agreement's actual legislative text is not available, and there are many unknowns.

It appears that ground EMS would not be included in the ban on surprise billing for emergency services. Air medical would be included by the agreement. 

Again, please review the summary (click here) to learn more.

How Do You Send a Message to TEMSA's Listserv?

Open to Texas EMS Agencies

If you are a member of TEMSA's listserv, you can send an e-mail to it through this e-mail address:

If you would like to join the listserv, reply to this e-mail.

Thanks to Our Sponsors for EMS EVOLUTION 2019

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Aladtec
Columbia Southern University
Digitech Computer
Emergicon
EMS Management & Consultants
Ferno
1st Pass Healthcare Solutions
Grant Mercantile Agency
Health Claims Plus
Henry Schein
Life-Assist
NAAC
Nationwide Recovery Systems
Nav Central
R1
Radcliffe Bobbitt Adams Polley PLLC
Rescue Lift
School of EMS
Solutions Group
Stryker
VFIS of Texas
Wakefield & Associates