CMS Announces ET3 Medical Triage Line Funding Opportunity

Applications due May 11 for program funding the establishment or expansion of PSAP medical triage lines aimed at reducing inappropriate use of emergency ambulance services and increasing efficiency in EMS systems.

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) is releasing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) Model. Through the NOFO, CMS will fund state and local governments, their designees, or other entities that operate or have authority over a 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to establish or expand Medical Triage Lines aimed at reducing inappropriate use of emergency ambulance services and increasing efficiency in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems.

The NOFO complements the ambulance payment component of the ET3 Model, which began implementation on January 1, 2021, and for which the final list of Participants was posted today. Applicants to the NOFO must share at least one ZIP Code with the ambulance providers and suppliers that are participants in the model. Under the ET3 Model, CMS provides greater flexibility to ambulance care teams to address emergency health care needs of Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries following a 911 call, by paying ambulances to transport beneficiaries to Alternative Destinations or to facilitate Treatment in Place with a Qualified Health Care Partner, either in-person or through telehealth.

The NOFO is available at grants.gov under Opportunity Number CMS-2F2-21-001.

For more information, please see the ET3 Model's webpage. Stay up to date on the latest ET3 Model news and updates by subscribing to the ET3 Model listserv or contact CMS at ET3Model@cms.hhs.gov.