KAPA to receive prestigious national
awardBy JOHN HULTGREN
Kentucky EMS Connection
WASHINGTON, D.C.
— The
American Ambulance Association has selected the Kentucky Ambulance
Providers Association as the recipient of its 2008 Annual
Partnership Award.
AAA President Jim McPartlon will
present this distinguished award at a special ceremony during the
AAA’s President’s Party on December 2 at their Annual Conference
and Tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nevada, AAA announced in a press
release. The Partnership Award is presented to individuals who
have made an outstanding commitment of time and resources in
accomplishing a specific objective or project for the AAA.
KAPA was nominated for this award
because of its federal legislative activities, including an annual
Washington, DC, Congressional trip by several of its members and
their partnership with AAA during those trips.
Tristan North, AAA Senior Vice
President for Government Affairs, said “The Kentucky Ambulance
Providers Association was instrumental in securing much needed
Medicare ambulance relief and served as an important partner on
other key industry initiatives such as additional homeland
security funding for EMS providers.”
On July 15, the U.S.
House of Representatives and the United States Senate both voted
to override the President's veto of the physician fix package
which included an ambulance provision that took effect
immediately. The physician fix package, the Medicare Improvements
for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331), contains an 18-month
Medicare increase of 2% urban and 3% rural for ambulance service
providers. This relief began retroactively from July 1 of this
year and expires December 31, 2009.
Less than three months earlier KAPA had met with
and obtained the support of each Kentucky congressmen, including
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. It is estimated that this
provision alone will provide
approximately $170 million in desperately-needed Medicare relief
for ambulance services across the country.