HB0542 Engrossed LRB096 03750 DRJ 13780 b

1     AN ACT concerning public aid.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
5 changing Section 5-4.2 as follows:
 
6     (305 ILCS 5/5-4.2)  (from Ch. 23, par. 5-4.2)
7     Sec. 5-4.2. Ambulance services payments. For ambulance
8 services provided to a recipient of aid under this Article on
9 or after January 1, 1993, the the Illinois Department shall
10 reimburse ambulance service providers at rates calculated in
11 accordance with this Section. It is the intent of the General
12 Assembly to provide adequate reimbursement for ambulance
13 services so as to ensure adequate access to services for
14 recipients of aid under this Article and to provide appropriate
15 incentives to ambulance service providers to provide services
16 in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Thus, it is the
17 intent of the General Assembly that the Illinois Department
18 implement a reimbursement system for ambulance services that,
19 to the extent practicable and subject to the availability of
20 funds appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose, is
21 consistent with the payment principles of Medicare. To ensure
22 uniformity between the payment principles of Medicare and
23 Medicaid, the Illinois Department shall follow, to the extent

 

 

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1 necessary and practicable and subject to the availability of
2 funds appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose,
3 the statutes, laws, regulations, policies, procedures,
4 principles, definitions, guidelines, and manuals used to
5 determine the amounts paid to ambulance service providers under
6 Title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare).
7     For ambulance services provided to a recipient of aid under
8 this Article on or after January 1, 1996, the Illinois
9 Department shall reimburse ambulance service providers based
10 upon the actual distance traveled if a natural disaster,
11 weather conditions, road repairs, or traffic congestion
12 necessitates the use of a route other than the most direct
13 route.
14     For purposes of this Section, "ambulance services"
15 includes medical transportation services provided by means of
16 an ambulance, medi-car, service car, or taxi.
17     This Section does not prohibit separate billing by
18 ambulance service providers for oxygen furnished while
19 providing advanced life support services.
20     Beginning with services rendered on or after July 1, 2008,
21 all providers of non-emergency medi-car and service car
22 transportation must certify that the driver and employee
23 attendant, as applicable, have completed a safety program
24 approved by the Department to protect both the patient and the
25 driver, prior to transporting a patient. The provider must
26 maintain this certification in its records. The provider shall

 

 

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1 produce such documentation upon demand by the Department or its
2 representative. Failure to produce documentation of such
3 training shall result in recovery of any payments made by the
4 Department for services rendered by a non-certified driver or
5 employee attendant. Medi-car and service car providers must
6 maintain legible documentation in their records of the driver
7 and, as applicable, employee attendant that actually
8 transported the patient. Providers must recertify all drivers
9 and employee attendants every 3 years.
10     Notwithstanding the requirements above, any public
11 transportation provider of medi-car and service car
12 transportation that receives federal funding under 49 U.S.C.
13 5307 and 5311 need not certify its drivers and employee
14 attendants under this Section, since safety training is already
15 federally mandated.
16 (Source: P.A. 95-501, eff. 8-28-07.)