CMS Pub. 100-04, ch. 15, § 10.3

Most of the definitions previously found in this chapter can now be found in IOM Pub. 100-02,

Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, chapter 10 - Ambulance Services. Other definitions pertaining

to payment and claims processing follow.

A/B MAC (A)

Definition: For the purposes of this chapter only, the term refers to those contractors that process

claims for institutionally-based ambulance providers billed on the ASC X12 837 institutional

claim transaction or Form CMS-1450.

A/B MAC (B)

Definition: For the purposes of this chapter only, the term refers to those contractors that process

claims for ambulance suppliers billed on the ASC X12 837professional claim transaction or a

CMS-1500 form.

Date of Service

Definition: The date of service (DOS) of an ambulance service is the date that the loaded

ambulance vehicle departs the point of pickup. In the case of a ground transport, if the

beneficiary is pronounced dead after the vehicle is dispatched but before the (now deceased)

beneficiary is loaded into the vehicle, the DOS is the date of the vehicle’s dispatch. In the case

of an air transport, if the beneficiary is pronounced dead after the aircraft takes off to pick up the

beneficiary, the DOS is the date of the vehicle’s takeoff.

Point of Pickup (POP)

Definition: Point of pickup is the location of the beneficiary at the time he or she is placed on

board the ambulance.

Application: The ZIP Code of the POP must be reported on each claim for ambulance services

so that the correct Geographic Adjustment Factor (GAF) and Rural Adjustment Factor (RAF)

may be applied, as appropriate.

Provider

Definition: For the purposes of this chapter only, the term “provider” is used to reference a

hospital-based ambulance provider which is owned and/or operated by a hospital, critical access

hospital, skilled nursing facility, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility, home health

agency, hospice program, or, for purposes of section 1814(g) and section 1835(e), a fund.

Supplier

Definition: For the purposes of this chapter, the term supplier is defined as any ambulance

service that is not institutionally based. A supplier can be an independently owned and operated

ambulance service company, a volunteer fire and/or ambulance company, a local government run

firehouse based ambulance, etc., that provides Part B Medicare covered ambulance services and

is enrolled as an independent ambulance supplier.