Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 41.05.021, 41.05.160; chapter 74.70 RCW; ESSB 6534, chapter 354, Laws of 2020.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Rules are necessary to provide for a quality assurance fee for specified providers of emergency ambulance to be added to the base funding from all other sources supporting additional medicaid payments to nonpublic and nonfederal providers. Additionally, a section is being added for a dedicated fund established by the treasury as the ambulance transport fund. During the course of this review, the agency may identify additional related changes that are required in order to improve clarity or update policy.

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Process for Developing New Rule: The agency welcomes the public to take part in developing this rule. If interested, contact the person identified below to receive an early rule draft to review. After the early review, the agency will send a notice of proposed rule making (CR-102) to everyone receiving this notice and anyone who requests a copy.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Valerie Freudenstein (Rulemaking Questions), P.O. Box 42716, Olympia, WA 98504-2716, phone 360-725-1344, fax 360-586-9727, telecommunication[s] relay service (TRS) 711, email valerie.freudenstein@hca.wa.gov, website www.hca.wa.gov/about-hca/rulemaking; or Abigail Cole (Program Questions), P.O. Box 45510, Olympia, WA 98504-5510, phone 360-725-1835, fax 360-586-9727, TRS 711, email Abigail.cole@hca.wa.gov, website www.hca.wa.gov/about-hca/rulemaking.