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Table of Contents:
Policy update
Putnam and Empress EMS Collaborate on Community Paramedic Program
Region of the Week: Rural Kansas Finally Obtains Community Paramedicine
Read Time: 3 minutes
Policy Update
What it does: Amends Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to allow Medicare to reimburse ambulance services for on-scene care, even when the patient isn't transported — directly supporting Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) treat-in-place models.
Status: Introduced January 29, 2026 (119th Congress) by Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT); read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. A companion bill, H.R. 7277, is pending in the House.
Support: Backed by 5 bipartisan-leaning cosponsors, including Sens. Bennet (D-CO), Fetterman (D-PA), Klobuchar (D-MN), Sanders (I-VT), and Smith (D-MN).
Why it matters for MIH: This is a key piece of federal legislation that could finally unlock Medicare reimbursement for no-transport, on-scene EMS/MIH encounters — a long-standing barrier to sustainable MIH program funding.
From Chesapeake, VA to Putnam County, NY to the streets of New Jersey, our team has run MIH programs, managed community paramedics, coordinated care across broken systems, and felt the weight of software that just wasn't built for this work.
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Thought Piece
Community paramedicine programs are proving their worth, but the field is still running on grant money and grit rather than lasting infrastructure. Highlights from this month's JEMS feature:
The access gap is real. An estimated 4.5 million Americans live more than 25 minutes from an EMS station, limiting access to both emergency and routine care.
The results speak for themselves. The Quapaw Nation's community paramedicine program cut 911 call volume by 17% in its first year alone.
The payoff goes beyond calls avoided. Programs are building patient trust, lowering overall care costs by catching problems before they become ER visits, and strengthening the case for long-term funding.
Funding remains the sticking point. Most programs, like Mannford EMS, which launched on $40,000 in local fundraising, still rely on grants and community support rather than stable payer reimbursement.
What needs to happen next: Treat MIH/CP as standard care rather than a niche service, build stronger data partnerships between EMS and hospitals, and push for billing reform that makes these programs financially sustainable for the long haul.
Frontenac Community Paramedicine, which logged over 13,600 patient contacts in 2025, has partnered with a KHSC cardiologist on a pilot program sending trained paramedics to visit heart failure patients within 24 hours of hospital discharge, aiming to improve outcomes by providing more care at home and reducing emergency department visits and hospital admissions.
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Region of the Week: Adair county, Oklahoma
Another rural Oklahoma agency is stepping up to fill a healthcare gap left by hospital closures.
Filling a critical gap. Adair County EMS in Stillwell, Oklahoma has announced a new Community Paramedicine program is in development, designed to improve healthcare access, reduce ambulance utilization, and strengthen EMS overall.
The driving need. The program is a direct response to the closure of the county's local hospital over a year ago, which has increased transport times and strained EMS crews and systems.
A proactive approach. EMS Director Josiah Smith said the goal is to improve healthcare access while keeping ambulances available for life-threatening emergencies, calling Community Paramedicine a way to "be proactive instead of reactive."
Building the foundation. The program is being supported by specialized education through OSU's Center for Health Sciences, along with partnerships with other agencies.
Who it will serve and what's next. The program will support recently discharged patients, people with chronic illness, and those with limited transportation access; Adair County EMS is still working on securing the training, partnerships, and funding needed to launch