For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Annual quality assurance fee rate” means the quality assurance fee assessed on each emergency medical transport during each applicable state fiscal year.

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(b) “Aggregate fee schedule amount” means the product of the fee-for-service add-on increase described in Section 14129.3 and the Medi-Cal emergency medical transports, including both fee-for-service transports paid by the department and managed care transports paid by Medi-Cal managed care health plans, utilizing the billing codes for emergency medical transport for the state fiscal year.

(c) “Available fee amount” shall be calculated as the sum of the following:

(1) The amount deposited in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund established under Section 14129.2 during the applicable state fiscal year, less the amounts described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of Section 14129.2.

(2) Any federal financial participation obtained as a result of the deposit of the amount described in paragraph (1) in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund, created pursuant to Section 14129.2, for the applicable state fiscal year.

(d) “Department” means the State Department of Health Care Services.

(e) “Director” means the Director of Health Care Services.

(f) “Effective state medical assistance percentage” means a ratio of the aggregate expenditures from state-only sources for the Medi-Cal program divided by the aggregate expenditures from state and federal sources for the Medi-Cal program for a state fiscal year.

(g) “Emergency medical transport” means the act of transporting an individual from any point of origin to the nearest medical facility capable of meeting the emergency medical needs of the patient by an emergency medical transport provider by means of an ambulance licensed, operated, and equipped in accordance with applicable state or local statutes, ordinances, or regulations that are billed with billing codes A0429 BLS Emergency, A0427 ALS Emergency, A0434 Specialty Care Transport, A0225 Neonatal Emergency Transport, and A0433 ALS2, and any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes as may be determined by the director. “Emergency medical transport” excludes transportation of beneficiaries by passenger car, taxicabs, litter vans, wheelchair vans, other forms of public or private conveyances, and transportation by an air ambulance provider. An “emergency medical transport” does not occur when, following evaluation of a patient, a transport is not provided.

(h) “Gross receipts” means gross payments received as patient care revenue for emergency medical transports, determined on a cash basis of accounting. “Gross receipts” includes all payments received as patient care revenue for emergency medical transports, including payments for billing codes A0429 BLS Emergency, A0427 ALS Emergency, and A0433 ALS2, and any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes as may be determined by the director, and any other ancillary billing codes associated with emergency medical transport as may be determined by the director. “Gross receipts” excludes supplemental amounts received pursuant to Sections 14105.94 or 14105.945.

(i) “Emergency medical transport provider” means any provider of emergency medical transports, except that during any Medi-Cal managed care rating period for which Section 14105.945 is implemented “emergency medical transport provider” shall exclude “eligible providers” as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14105.945 for purposes of this article.

(j) “Emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee” means all emergency medical transport providers who bill and receive patient care revenue from the provision of emergency medical transports, except emergency medical transport providers that are exempt pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14129.6.

(k) “Medi-Cal managed care health plan” means a “managed health care plan” as that term is defined in subdivision (ab) of Section 14169.51.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 544, Sec. 3. (AB 1705) Effective January 1, 2020. Conditionally inoperative as prescribed in Section 14129.7. Repealed conditionally as provided in Section 14129.7.)