With decades of experience in the hands-on delivery, management and billing of emergency medical services, the professionals of PWW work with EMS organizations, ambulance services, Mobile Integrated Healthcare organizations, public safety agencies, and other organizations across the country in improving their operations. We work with clients in drafting and implementing RFPs and proposals, developing internal operating procedures, improving provider documentation through on-site, interactive training and education, configuring their EMS systems for maximum efficiency, and a wide range of other operational issues.
Some of our EMS Operations related professional services include:
Dispatch and Call Intake Assessments
We represent dispatch agencies in all manner of legal issues, and work with ambulance services to improve their internal intake practices.
Non-Emergency Call Intake Process Improvement
PWW works with EMS agencies of all types to improve the call intake process for non-emergency transports. Improving the call intake process can help organizations ensure that only patients who meet the medical necessity criteria for an ambulance are transported which reduces the number of transports not covered by Medicare or other insurance. Process improvement can also help enable ambulance providers and suppliers in obtaining Physician Certification Statements (PCS), when necessary, at the time of transport or before to reduce the time spent attempting to obtain a PCS after the transport has already been performed. In addition, improving the non-emergency call intake process ensures that call takers obtain the necessary information prior to transport so that the appropriate level of service is dispatched and billed.
Response Area/Competition Issues
We represent ambulance companies, municipalities and other agencies involved in the designation of primary response areas and potential territory disputes. Some of the other services we provide in this area of our practice include:
- Municipal Contracting – counseling both providers and municipalities in issues surrounding the public contracting process for the provision of ambulance or other public safety services.
- Exclusive Operating Area (EOA) Designations – working with private and public clients in the planning and implementation of competitive procurement processes for the selection of exclusive providers in many jurisdictions.
- Antitrust Law – working with private and public clients, helping them to understand, clarify, and when necessary, litigate their rights and obligations with respect to antitrust laws and their impact on the ambulance marketplace in their service areas.
Air Medical Services
PWW provides focused advice and expertise in the unique challenges facing medical aviation providers. We have experience in assisting air medical organizations in the negotiation and drafting of aircraft leases, operating agreements, charter services agreements and related contracts and documents. We have also counseled clients with regard to the EMS law aspects of FAA investigations and the unique regulatory challenges faced by many so-called "piggyback" arrangements between air ambulance services and aircraft operators certificated under Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. This includes specific experience with cases involving FAA allegations of the improper franchising of "operational control" by the air operators to the air medical organizations.
RFPs and System Design
PWW can assist your agency in drafting or responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and similar documents for everything from outsourced ambulance billing services to entire EMS system procurements. PWW Is familiar with the rules, regulations and guidance affecting RFPs and can help ensure your agency drafts or responds compliantly to an RFP. PWW also has extensive experience designing EMS Systems of all types and configurations, assessing systems along key parameters and making recommendations for system restructuring and improvements.