Revenue cycle management for emergency medical services (EMS) providers can be summed up in one word: retroactive.
Unlike the majority of traditional healthcare services in which patient insurance information and financial obligations are properly vetted early in the care cycle, ambulance providers perform most revenue cycle steps retrospectively, and for good reason.
Many EMS transports are emergency and trauma scenarios—where the patient is unconscious or not physically able to provide demographic or insurance information. This presents unique challenges for EMS providers because of a lack of revenue cycle resources, such as checking with the patient or family members for additional information.
