Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) is a voluntary, five-year payment model that will provide flexibility to ambulance care teams to address emergency health care needs of Medicare beneficiaries following a 911 call. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will continue to pay to transport a Medicare beneficiary to a hospital emergency department or other covered destination. In addition, under the model, CMS will pay participants to 1) transport to an alternative destination partner, such as a primary care office, urgent care clinic, or a community mental health center (CMHC), or 2) initiate and facilitate treatment in place with a qualified health care partner, either at the scene of the 911 emergency response or via telehealth.
The model will allow beneficiaries to access the most appropriate emergency services at the right time and place. The model will also encourage local governments, their designees, or other entities that operate or have authority over one or more 911 dispatches to promote successful model implementation by establishing a medical triage line for low-acuity 911 calls. As a result, the ET3 model aims to improve quality and lower costs by reducing avoidable transports to the ED and unnecessary hospitalizations following those transports.
Paramedics Logistics South Dakota, LLC located in Minnehaha county has been selected to participate in the model.
More information about the ET3 model is available here.
