GEMT QAF Program
NEWS

In accordance with Senate Bill (SB) 523 (Chapter 773, Statutes of 2017)
and Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) section 14129, DHCS is
authorized to collect from GEMT ("Ground Emergency Medical Transport")
providers the following data: (1) on a quarterly basis, the number of
emergency medical transports, by payer type, and (2) on an annual basis,
gross receipts received from the provision of emergency medical transports
per state fiscal year.

The data collected is used to calculate an annual
GEMT QAF rate that will be imposed on each emergency medical transport
provided by each GEMT provider subject to the QAF.

The QAF ("Quality Assurance Fee") collected will be used to increase
reimbursement to GEMT providers by application of an add-on to the
fee-for-service fee schedule rate for the affected emergency medical
transport billing codes
(excerpted 4/22/19 from the GEMT QAF website:
https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Pages/GEMTQAF.aspx).


LINKS AND EMAIL CONTACTS

GEMT QAF Program:
https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Pages/GEMTQAF.aspx

Questions regarding GEMT QAF data reporting or QAF payments,
email: QAF@dhcs.ca.gov

Questions regarding GEMT QAF policy,
email: GEMTQAF@dhcs.ca.gov

DHCS submission site:
https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Pages/QAF.aspx
(then click on "GEMT Data Submission Form")


FAQs

Check this link to see our regularly updated GEMT QAF Frequently Asked Questions page.
 According to DHCS, an “emergency medical transport” is defined as “the act of transporting an individual from any point of origin to the nearest medical facility capable of meeting the emergency medical needs of the patient by an ambulance licensed, operated, and equipped in accordance with applicable state or local statutes, ordinances, or regulations that are billed with billing codes A0429 BLS Emergency, A0427 ALS Emergency, and A0433 ALS2, and any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes [X0030, A0434 Specialty Care Transports, and A0225 Neonatal Emergency Transport].”