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CMS withdraws ET3 Notice of Funding Opportunity

The Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) Model will move forward despite the decision to withdraw the NOFO

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Photo/Will.alexander, Wikimedia Commons

By Kerri Hatt

WASHINGTON — CMS has announced it is withdrawing the Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) due to an insufficient number of applications received.

According to EMS law firm Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, CMS said the low number of applicants “would not allow for a sufficient number of Agreements to adequately determine whether the medical triage line intervention described in the NOFO has the potential to maintain or improve quality of care for beneficiaries and reduce Medicare program spending under the Model.”

CMS says this decision does not affect Participation Agreements with the 184 selected ambulance services – ET3 will move forward for those participants. The decision will not affect applicants’ ability to apply for any subsequent or future NOFOs as well.

CMS had announced the NOFO in March to fund state and local governments to establish or expand medical triage lines aimed at reducing inappropriate use of emergency ambulance services and increase efficiency in EMS systems.

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