Supplemental Emergency Medical Transport Program
A voluntary program for EMT programs to be reimbursed by Medicaid
Overview
Supplemental Emergency Medical Transportation (SEMT) Program is a voluntary program that will allow eligible publicly owned and operated Medicaid providers to voluntarily submit annual reports to be reimbursed Medicaid supplemental payments.
SEMT providers submit annual cost reports to the Department of Health that are used to calculate a provider’s cost per transport. The supplemental payment will be the federal portion of the difference between the provider’s cost per transport and the payment that the provider has already received in fee-for-service Medicaid payments and any other source of reimbursement.
The State Plan Amendment 19-007 for the SEMT program has an effective date of August 31, 2019. This authority allows for transports on or after this date of service to be eligible for SEMT reimbursement. The Alaska SEMT regulations are effective October 9, 2021. See Reporting Timelines for more information.
Who qualifies?
Provider participation in the SEMT program is voluntary. Providers must meet all the following requirements to be eligible to participate in the SEMT program:
- Be enrolled as a Medicaid provider with an active provider participation agreement for the period being claimed
- Be a publicly owned or operated state, city, county, fire protection district, community service district, health care district, federally recognized Indian tribe, or any unit of government as defined in 42 C.F.R. Sec 433.50
- Provide emergency ground, air, or water medical transportation to Medicaid fee-for-service recipients
How to sign up
To become a participating SEMT provider:
- Complete, print out, sign, and scan the SEMT Provider Participation Agreement
- Complete and submit an annual cost report
- Complete and submit supporting documentation for the cost report including but not limited to:
- Audited Financial Statements (AFS)
- Post audit working trial balance that ties to the AFS in excel format
- Reconciliation of the post audit working trial balance to the cost report in excel format (see SEMT Documents below for an example)
- Email the agreement, along with your annual cost report and supporting documents, to: AKSEMT@alaska.gov.
How to use it
Administrative Fee
The SEMT program ensures its implementation does not increase state general fund expenditures. A flat fee is applied per Medicaid emergency medical transport for the service period covered in cost reports. This fee is calculated by multiplying the flat rate by the number of a provider’s SEMT-eligible transports.
The calculation includes the state fund cost for staff managing the SEMT program, determined through positive timekeeping, and the total number of SEMT transports. Detailed information is available in the SEMT Program Training documents.
Providers will receive written notification of their fee amount by May 15 each year. Payment is due by June 15 for each year they participate.
Reporting Timelines
Future year reports are due on or before the last day of the fifth month after the provider’s fiscal year. If the filing deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the report is due the following business day.
- Federal Fiscal Year Provider – Report due no later than February 28 of the following year
- Calendar Year Provider - Report due no later than May 31 of the following year
- State Fiscal Year Provider - Report due no later than November 30 of the following year
Settlement Timelines
Providers participating in the SEMT program will receive an interim supplemental payment by the end of the second quarter following the submission of their annual report:
- Calendar Year (CY): By 12/31 following report submission
- State Fiscal Year (SFY): By 6/30 following report submission
- Federal Fiscal Year (FFY): By 9/30 following report submission
The interim payment is calculated using the provider's submitted cost report and claims data from the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS), as recorded on Schedule 9 – Interim Payments.
Submitted cost reports will undergo a desk review to verify the provider’s cost per emergency medical transport and determine the final settlement amount. This review includes completion of Schedule 10 – Final Settlement by the Department.
The final settlement will be completed within three years of receiving the as-filed cost report. Depending on the review results, the Department will either issue a final federal funds supplemental payment to the provider or recover any federal payments exceeding the provider’s costs after accounting for other reimbursements.
SEMT Documents & Training
SEMT documents and training information is accessible via the State of Alaska Library Archives website.