Research Alert: October 13, 2017

Ambulance Services for Medicare Beneficiaries: State Differences in Usage, 2012-2014

Improved understanding of how Medicare beneficiaries, most of whom are elderly, use ambulance services provides vital information for policymakers who set rules and regulations about access to ambulance services.

Using data provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, our work took a state-level look at usage across the United States. Not all Medicare beneficiaries used ambulance services equally across the states. For instance, two largely rural states, Kentucky and Utah, used ambulance services very differently. We believe policymakers and researchers need to consider differences across the regions of the U.S. when evaluating reimbursement and rules about usage. When looking at changes in the supply of ambulance services in an area, we need to consider the current rate of usage of those services.

Contact Information:

SuZanne Troske, MS
Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
Phone: 859.218.0108
s.troske@uky.edu

Additional Resources of Interest: