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Committee approves temporary fix to ambulance registration gaps caused by COVID-era disruptions
Summary
The committee adopted an amendment and gave House Bill 27‑87 a do‑pass recommendation allowing the Department of Health Services discretion to keep ambulance registrations valid when inspections were delayed; supporters said the change prevents federal audits from requiring repayment for services provided while paperwork lapsed.
The Senate committee adopted a Bullock amendment to House Bill 27‑87 and issued a do‑pass recommendation on March 25 for a measure that addresses lapsed ambulance registrations resulting from administrative and COVID‑era disruptions.
Staff explained the amendment would allow a certificate holder that submits a complete renewal application to retain a valid ambulance registration if the Department of Health Services (DHS) cannot inspect the ambulance within statutory timeframes; the amendment also directs DHS to consider certain lapsed registrations between March 31, 2022 and Aug. 1, 2024 as valid if the holder pays any owed lapsed application fees. The provision repeals on Jan. 1, 2026.
Stan Barnes of Culver State Consulting Group, representing Priority Ambulance, said his company found seven ambulances with lapsed registration due to system and administrative changes and described the change as a practical fix to avoid federal auditors seeking returns of Medicaid/Medicare funds for services provided while paperwork was delayed. "Nothing changed in the real world. Patients still were transferred," Barnes said.
Senator Carroll moved adoption of the amendment and the bill; the committee adopted the amendment and voted the bill out with unanimous support recorded in the roll call.
