410.40 Coverage of ambulance services.

(a). Basic rules. Medicare Part B covers ambulance services if the following conditions are met:

(1) The supplier meets the applicable vehicle, staff, and billing and reporting requirements of § 410.41 and the service meets the medical necessity and origin and destination requirements of paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section.

(2) Medicare Part A payment is not made directly or indirectly for the services.

(b) Levels of service. Medicare covers the following levels of ambulance service, which are defined in § 414.605 of this chapter:

(1) Basic life support (BLS) (emergency and nonemergency).

(2) Advanced life support, level 1 (ALS1) (emergency and nonemergency).

(3) Advanced life support, level 2 (ALS2).

(4) Paramedic ALS intercept (PI).

(5) Specialty care transport (SCT).

(6) Fixed wing transport (FW).

(7) Rotary wing transport (RW).