The FEMA GO Platform is Back Up; Please Be Sure to Accept Your AFG, FP&S, and SAFER Grants by November 24
Fire departments have until November 24 to accept their Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG); Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S); and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant funds. The FEMA GO platform is back up and running. So, please act now to accept your grant funds.
IAFC, EMS Groups Send Letter to CMS Asking for Treatment in Place Program
Last week, the IAFC led a letter, signed by over 140 fire and EMS groups, asking the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to launch a pilot program that will reimburse EMS providers for the treatment in place (TIP) of Medicare patients. The IAFC led this letter with our partners at the National Association of EMTs (NAEMT) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).
The letter asks CMMI, the office responsible for trialing new reimbursement innovations like the ET3 program, to launch a TIP pilot program as outlined in the CARE Act (H.R. 2538/S. 3145), which the IAFC has endorsed. The program would allow reimbursement for patients who are treated on scene by EMS but are not transported to the hospital. Data from the ET3 program shows that CMS saved over $500 per Medicare patient who was treated on scene by EMS and not transported. This program would address a growing crisis of emergency department overcrowding in local hospitals and a major expense for fire-based EMS providers.
The IAFC continues to push for EMS reimbursement reform to help departments cover the costs of providing EMS care. Efforts are ongoing to continue to push for passage of the CARE Act (H.R. 2538/S. 3145) and for broader EMS reimbursement reform.