Although signature requirements have been in place for several years for non-emergency transports, ambulance services will be required to obtain a signature following emergency transports from a representative of the receiving facility on behalf of incapacitated Medicare patients that do not have another authorized individual capable of signing a claim form documenting the name of the beneficiary and the date and time they were received.
The proposed rule, which becomes effective January 1, 2008, had been opposed by ambulance provider organizations based on the belief that it would increase the burden to ambulance personnel and decrease their response times back to communities. The final rule (Part II—Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Other Part B Payment Policies for CY 2008) appeared in the Federal Register on November 27, 2007 and can be downloaded at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/07-5506.pdf.