Ground Emergency Medical Transportation Average Commercial Rate Survey
Collection of GEMT Commercial Rate Data for July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is collecting commercial payment data from all public and private California Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) providers to comply with requirements issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Providers are required to submit Average Commercial Rate (ACR) survey data for the 12-month period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
Survey submissions are due by: June 19, 2026
As part of the CMS review of pending GEMT State
Plan Amendments (SPAs)
25-0002,
25-0003-A, and
25-0030 in 2025
, CMS issued Requests for Additional Information
(RAI) requiring DHCS to demonstrate that proposed GEMT supplemental payments
comply with the requirements in Section
1902(a)(30)(A) of the Act
for efficiency and economy. CMS specifically
requested that DHCS provide an ACR based on provider-specific payment data,
along with supporting documentation. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
Government Code, DHCS is authorized to implement the PP-GEMT and GEMT QAF
without taking regulatory action pursuant to Welfare & Intuitions Code
Sections 14105.94(h), and 14129.5. Failure to complete and submit this survey by the due date may impact future eligibility for payments under the Public Provider GEMT Intergovernmental Transfer (PP-GEMT IGT) program and GEMT Quality Assurance Fee (QAF) program payment increases.
Survey Requirements
All public and private GEMT providers must report commercial fee and rate information for their top five commercial payers by volume for the following GEMT procedure codes:
- A0427
- A0429
- A0433
- A0225
- A0434
Survey data must reflect services rendered within California during the
reporting period.
Forms and Instructions
Please see DHCS Form 25-0028 and attestation DHCS 25-0028A below for instructions and submission form.
Please submit completed forms, questions, or comments to the DHCS GEMT ACR mailbox: GEMTACR@dhcs.ca.gov with the subject line: "GEMT ACR <Provider NPI Number>".
DHCS is hosting an informational webinar to assist providers in completing the ACR Survey Submission Form for the time period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The survey is due on June 19, 2026.
- Friday May 29, 2025, at 11:00AM (PST)
If you are interested in attending the provider webinar, please email us at GEMTACR@dhcs.ca.gov. Please include any questions you would like to address during the webinar in your email. All questions must be submitted by May 22, 2026.
Background
To comply
with federal Medicaid requirements under Section 1902(a)(30)(A) of the Social
Security Act (the Act), DHCS must demonstrate that GEMT supplemental payments
are consistent with efficiency, economy, and quality of care.
During
CMS’ review of pending GEMT State Plan Amendments (SPAs) 25-0002,
25-0003-A, and
25-0030, CMS issued
Requests
for Additional Information (RAIs) requesting provider-specific commercial
payment data and supporting documentation. DHCS is collecting this information
through the ACR survey to support SPA approval and future rate development. The ACR survey
requirement applies to both public and private GEMT providers, including
participants in:
- Public Provider GEMT Intergovernmental
Transfer (PP‑GEMT IGT) Program
- GEMT Quality
Assurance Fee (QAF) Program
Data Collection Process
Data submitted through the GEMT ACR survey must reflect commercial payments for services rendered between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Providers must identify and rank their top five commercial payers based on utilization volume for services provided in California and complete all required fields in the survey workbook, including the attestation. DHCS may request additional documentation or clarification to support data accuracy. All third-party payer data will be kept confidential to the fullest extent permitted by law and used exclusively for rate development, and may be shared with federal, or state agencies as permitted under applicable law. Failure to submit the ACR survey by the deadline may affect a provider's eligibility for future GEMT supplemental payment programs.
GEMT ACR Survey Resources
