The Ambulance Fee Schedule payment includes a rural adjustment to take into consideration the regional and operational variances in the cost of providing services in different areas of the country.

Effective January 1, 2004, the mileage rate for ground ambulance services originating in rural areas remains 150 percent of the urban mileage rate for the first 17 miles; the payment rate for ground ambulance miles 18 to 50, inclusive, will be equivalent to the urban mileage rate with no rural adjustment. The new payment rate for ground ambulance miles applies to all ground ambulance service claims with dates of service on or after January 1, 2004.