Insider’s Perspective on Ambulance Payment Reform

April 21, 2026

9:30 am –

10:20 am

Meeting Room 109-110

Tracks: Advocacy

Over a decade in the making, the AAA continues to spearhead efforts to reform the Medicare ambulance fee schedule. With CMS having collected revenue and cost data from ground ambulance service organizations at the same time the AAA has collected data through its AMBER progam, we are on the brink of proposing true reform to Medicare ambulance policy. This is occuring through a National EMS Payment Reform Committee as well as policy recommendations by the AAA Payment Reform Committee. All while MedPAC is analyzing the data from CMS and making likely minimal targeted suggested changes to the fee schedule. Here directly from panelists involved in the Payment Reform efforts who also worked at MedPAC and CMS on ambulance policy.

Speakers:

Maria Bianchi, CAE
CEO
American Ambulance Association

Maria Bianchi, CAE, has served as the CEO of the American Ambulance Association (AAA) since 2002 and has worked in non-profit health care management for more than 30 years. She has represented the Association on several National Task Forces and Committee and currently sits as a voting member of the Federal Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency's Emergency Services Sector. Her expertise in such areas as Board governance, strategic planning and...

Zach Gaumer
Managing Principal
Health Management Associates

Zach Gaumer is an accomplished policy analyst and project manager with nearly 20 years of health policy experience. He possesses a deep understanding of Medicare, healthcare payment systems, federal and state policymaking, healthcare datasets, research methods and policy reform efforts. Zach is a skilled researcher with a passion for answering complicated payment policy questions. Prior to joining HMA, Zach was a principal policy analyst at the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)....

Shawn Baird
Vice President of State Affairs and Strategic Advocacy
American Ambulance Association

Shawn is the VP of State Affairs and Strategic Advocacy for AAA. He has been a paramedic, ambulance service owner, and recently CEO of a multi-state service. Shawn served on NEMSAC and GAPBAC and is currently Chair of the National Payment Reform Group formed by AAA and other stakeholder organizations.

Amy Bassano
Managing Director, Coverage Policy and Program Design
Health Management Associates

A senior executive and nationally recognized health policy expert, Amy Bassano has more than 20 years of experience developing organizational vision and strategic plans, designing, and implementing payment systems, and driving change in the healthcare delivery system. She joins HMA as managing director of Medicare services after serving as the deputy director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As senior...