Rural Air Ambulance Service Protocols

Medicare may deem rural air ambulance transports reasonable and necessary when performed pursuant to an established State or regional EMS protocol that has been reviewed/approved by the State EMS agency (or developed per State umbrella guidelines) and recognized or approved by the Secretary of HHS. Providers must submit the protocol (and any revisions) in advance to their fiscal intermediary—Noridian for listed states—by mail to the state-specific PO Box or by email to fiambprotocol@noridian.com; Noridian will review and issue a determination within 30 days, but protocol approval does not waive other Medicare requirements and payment is limited to transport to the closest capable facility.

"Medicare's reasonable-and-necessary requirement for rural air ambulance transport may be deemed met when the transport is provided pursuant to an established State or regional EMS agency protocol t..."