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Blue Cross & Blue Shield of MississippiAll Plans · Coverage · Medical Policy · MS · Emergency MedicineMedium impact

Ambulance and Medical Transport Services

Effective date
Not stated in the notice
Identified
Jun 20, 2026

Summary

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi covers ground emergency transport when the transport complies with applicable laws and licensing, has the necessary equipment, any other form of transportation would be medically contraindicated, and the patient is taken to the nearest hospital with appropriate facilities. Non-emergency ground transport between health care facilities requires prior authorization and must go to the nearest provider with the required capabilities, and non-emergency ground transport of bed-confined patients to a lower level of care requires that the patient meets the bed-confinement criteria and that the trip report describes symptoms, physical findings and monitoring. All air ambulance services require authorization, while transport to or from a physician's office, transport for routine renal dialysis, and transport by regularly scheduled commercial carrier are not covered.

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What to do

Action · 7 steps
01Check current applicability before billing these services, because the policy history shows the most recent review on 08/07/2023 with no changes.
02For non-emergency ground transport between facilities, prior authorization must be received for the transport.
03Air ambulance services require authorization, and for Federal Employee Program members prior approval is required for all non-emergent air ambulance transport.
04For bed-confined non-emergency transport, the ambulance trip report must give a detailed description of the patient's symptoms and physical findings at the time of transport, including functional status, safety issues, and special precautions or monitoring performed.
05When transport is declined by the patient after an emergency call and assessment, the appropriate base rate HCPCS code without mileage may be considered for payment.
06For a patient pronounced dead before pickup by a legally authorized individual, bill the appropriate base rate HCPCS code without mileage.
07Prior authorization for non-emergency ground and air transport does not apply to State Health Plan members.

Codes mentioned

A0225A0380A0382A0384A0390A0392A0394A0396A0398A0422A0424A0425A0426A0427A0428A0429A0430A0431A0433A0434A0435A0436A0999S0208S0215

Original notice

Ambulance and Medical Transport Services
bcbsms.com · Always check the source before changing claims.
View original ↗

Related policy hubs

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi policiesMS policy changesEmergency MedicineCode A0225Code A0380Code A0382Code A0384Code A0390Code A0392Code A0394Code A0396Code A0398Code A0422Code A0424Code A0425Code A0426Code A0427Code A0428Code A0429Code A0430Code A0431Code A0433Code A0434Code A0435Code A0436Code A0999Code S0208Code S0215

Summaries are AI-assisted. Always confirm against the original payer notice.

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