Ambulance transports related to COVID-19

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Apple Health (Medicaid) Provider Alert

Attention Ambulance Transportation providers:

Effective for dates of service on and after March 12, 2020, the Health Care Authority (HCA) is temporarily adding modifier CR for catastrophe/disaster-related ambulance transports related to COVID-19.

  • When transporting suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases or when transferring non-COVID-19 patients to clear beds in a hospital for COVID-19 cases, providers must include modifier CR (catastrophe/disaster-related) in addition to any other required modifiers.

  • The claim must include a comment in the claim notes field indicating the transport was related to COVID-19.

See HCA’s Information about novel coronavirus (COVID-19) webpage for updated information regarding COVID-19.  

This update will be reflected in the April 1, 2020 version of the Ambulance Transportation Billing Guide.