Contact us via any of the following methods:
E-mail: customerservice@trimedambulance.com
Telephone: (206) 988-5000 or toll free (888) 4TRIMED
It is always safest to call 911 in an emergency. Along with the 911 response, our ambulance brings expert medical care right to your home. Utilizing established medical protocols and online physician advice, we begin caring for you immediately.
Most people think of lights and sirens when you say ambulance, but that is not always true. Tri-Med offers non-emergency transports when medically necessary, to and from your home, the hospital and nursing care facilities.
We are here to help, just call.
Contact us via either of the following methods:
E-mail: billing@trimedambulance.com
Telephone
Ambulance Billing (844) 355-2333
Wheelchair Van Billing (855) 952-0590
Everyone here at Tri-Med is committed to ongoing improvement, and we love to hear about it when someone does an especially good job, so please let us know what you think by emailing us at customerservice@trimedambulance.com or call at (206)988-5000.
Likewise, if there’s something we could be doing better for you, we really want to hear from you about that, too, so we can better serve you!
- Patient’s Name
- Date of Birth
- Pick up Address (Apartment Number if applies) or Facility Name
- Where the Patient is going? (Address or Facility Name and Doctor’s Names / Suite Number)
- For what reason?
- What type of Insurance the Patient has?
- Based on the scenario, our call center may ask questions in addition to this. Our goal is to gather as much pertinent information as possible so that we can provide an exemplary patient care experience.
Tri-Med Ambulance may be able to transport you to your hospital of choice if you are stable enough for the transport, which is determined by the First Responders and EMT’s who arrive for your emergency. Other factors our staff may consider are necessity for transport and transport coverage eligibility.
Emergency ambulance services are provided after the sudden onset of a medical condition. Acute signs and/or symptoms of sufficient severity must manifest the emergency medical condition such that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in one or more of the following:
- Place the patient’s health in serious jeopardy
- Cause serious impairment to bodily functions
- Cause serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part
In these cases, Tri-Med would respond immediately, meaning our EMS professionals would begin as quickly as possible taking the steps necessary to respond to the call.
Non-emergency transports are often scheduled in advance and may cover a variety of things as long as the patient qualifies for an ambulance including hospital to hospital transfers (to a higher level of care), change of residence, and for transports where the patient is leaving the hospital after an admission.
When you need an ambulance for any acute emergent reason, please call 911.
Basic Life Support
Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances provide transport to patients who do not require extra support or cardiac monitoring. A BLS ambulance is staffed by two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who have training in basic emergency medical care such as basic airway management, use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) and basic drug administration. Examples of BLS transports include:
- Hospital discharges
- Psychiatric discharges
- Basic Life Support emergencies such as lower extremity fractures
- Interfacility transfers
Advanced Life Support
Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances transport patients who need a higher level of care during transport above those services provided by a BLS ambulance. The unit is staffed by two paramedics who have over 1,000 hours of education and training and are qualified to render advanced life support to patients such as advanced airway management, drug administration and cardiac monitoring under the direction of a hospital. Patients who typically require ALS transport include:
- Medical/surgical patients with a continuous IV
- Patients on a cardiac monitor
- Patients with potential airway compromise
Within Tri-Med’s service area, Advanced Life Support service is provided by King County Medic One.
Wheelchair van/Cabulance service is used for patients that don’t require the services or capabilities of an ambulance (such as an EMT or stretcher for transport), but cannot ride or drive themselves to or from a medical facility. This service can be utilized for hospital discharges or to transport patients, both from facilities and residences, to and from medical appointments.
At Tri-Med, we are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days per year. If you are looking to schedule an appointment, Tri-Med can do so at any time, however, we do appreciate as much notice as possible to ensure timely performance.
A non-emergency medical ambulance transport occurs when a patient requires transport back to a new location at the end of a hospitalization. Medical Necessity for all non-emergency ambulance transports is required by Medicare, Medicaid and all insurance carriers.
Medicare states non-emergency ambulance transports are considered medically necessary when the patient’s medical condition is such that the use of any other method of transportation (e.g., taxi, private car, wheelchair coach) would be medically contraindicated (e.g., would endanger the patient’s medical condition).
The lack of an available alternate mode of transportation (e.g., taxi, bus, personal car) or the inability to drive does not satisfy the medically necessary requirements. Non-emergency ambulance transport for convenience or because another means of transportation is not available is not considered medically necessary, and, therefore not covered.
Sure. While hospital case managers coordinate ambulance transportation, you as the patient can ask your case manager to request transportation from your preferred ambulance service.
Pricing is determined after factoring in a number of variables, such as emergency or non-emergency, Critical Care or BLS, wheelchair van service, as well as distance traveled, etc. To obtain a quote for your particular need, please contact our dispatch center at 206-988-5000 and we will do our best to assist you.
It is always a good idea to contact your insurance provider to see what type of transportation eligibility you are covered for, unless your transport is a medical emergency going into an emergency room. Your insurance provider can inform you of what is specifically needed for them to cover your claim.
If you are looking for transportation, Tri-Med will not lock you into a contract. If you are with a nursing home, hospital facility or health facility and would like to discuss establishing a transportation agreement with Tri-Med, please email mgau@trimedambulance.com or call 206-988-5000 to talk with our customer care specialists.
Individuals are required to sign the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) report along with any Medicare beneficiary form provided at the time of transport. You are required to provide signatures acknowledging consent for treatment and transportation. With this signature, Tri-Med Ambulance is authorized to submit a bill on your behalf, assign benefits to Tri-Med allowing your medical insurance carrier to pay us directly, and acknowledge you have received Tri-Med’s Privacy Practices Notice. We cannot submit a claim to a medical insurance carrier without a signed authorization from the patient or guardian. Failure to provide a signed authorization of the patient may require Tri-Med to seek payment directly from the patient or guarantor.
Tri-Med provides comprehensive non-emergency transportation services to patients who need to be safely transported between locations. Insurance plans may cover medically necessary non-emergency transports, but your insurance carrier will determine whether the ambulance transportation meets its medical necessity criteria. Please check with your insurance carrier to understand the specific requirements for payment of non-emergency transport services.
In general, insurance does not cover Wheelchair Van/Cabulance service. This service is private pay for the patient.
Tri-Med as well as other ambulance companies must know who the patient is. A driver’s license, social security card, and an insurance card are helpful to identify the patient and process the claim.
Please call and talk to one of our billing specialists to discuss payment options as we will try to work with you.
To comply with applicable laws, requests for medical records must be made in writing. In certain cases documentation and signature authorization are needed. Please contact our offices for more information regarding your specific request. ***We will not be able to give any information regarding the transport or patient by phone***
You will get a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) from the company that processes claims for Medicare. The notice will tell you why Medicare didn’t pay for your ambulance trip. For instance, if you chose to go to a facility farther than the closest one, you may get this statement on your notice: “Payment for ambulance transportation is allowed only to the closest appropriate facility that can provide the care you need.” Or, if you used an ambulance to move from one facility to another one closer to home, your notice may state: “Transportation to a facility to be closer to your home or family isn’t covered.” These are only examples of statements you may see on your MSN Statements, which vary depending on your situation. If you have questions about what Medicare paid, call the phone number on your MSN or 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
Medical power of attorney gives specific instructions, prepared in advance, that are intended to direct medical care for an individual if he or she becomes unable to do so in the future.
A Do Not Resuscitate order, or DNR, is a medical order written by a doctor. It instructs healthcare providers not to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if breathing stops or if the heart stops beating. A DNR order allows you to choose before an emergency occurs whether you want CPR. It is a decision only about CPR. It does not affect other treatments, such as pain medicine, medicines, or nutrition. The doctor writes the order only after talking about it with the patient (if possible), the proxy, or family.