Cost analysis for CPT A0428 — Ambulance service, basic life support, non-emergency transport, (bls)
Average Medicare Payment
$205.29
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$591.4M
Services (2023)
2.9M
Price Change (2014–2023)
+21.9%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $168.37 | $1.1B | 6.7M | — |
| 2015 | $171.74 | $980.5M | 5.8M | +2.0% |
| 2016 | $170.57 | $889.0M | 5.3M | -0.7% |
| 2017 | $172.27 | $873.4M | 5.2M | +1.0% |
| 2018 | $173.54 | $837.2M | 5.0M | +0.7% |
| 2019 | $174.03 | $776.2M | 4.7M | +0.3% |
| 2020 | $177.14 | $725.8M | 4.3M | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $178.94 | $667.1M | 3.9M | +1.0% |
| 2022 | $187.98 | $582.7M | 3.2M | +5.1% |
| 2023 | $205.29 | $591.4M | 2.9M | +9.2% |
The most expensive state pays 1.4x more than the cheapest for this procedure. AK averages $246.70 vs SC at $170.16.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK | $246.70 | $1.1M | 4.4K | 13 |
| WY | $238.19 | $169.1K | 710 | 10 |
| CA | $237.84 | $46.1M | 193.8K | 108 |
| SD | $233.78 | $361.2K | 1.5K | 23 |
| ND | $233.69 | $261.7K | 1.1K | 17 |
| NY | $233.29 | $43.8M | 187.7K | 99 |
| MT | $232.65 | $672.6K | 2.9K | 28 |
| HI | $228.50 | $172.1K | 753 | 1 |
| MD | $224.70 | $18.7M | 83.1K | 16 |
| WA | $223.78 | $5.4M | 24.1K | 48 |
| MN | $223.19 | $2.4M | 10.8K | 51 |
| CO | $221.49 | $4.3M | 19.4K | 43 |
| OR | $220.15 | $1.2M | 5.5K | 33 |
| MA | $219.21 | $33.2M | 151.3K | 43 |
| NH | $218.52 | $2.0M | 9.1K | 16 |
| CT | $218.02 | $11.8M | 54.1K | 14 |
| NV | $215.00 | $1.1M | 5.2K | 15 |
| DE | $213.66 | $509.2K | 2.4K | 5 |
| AZ | $213.50 | $2.2M | 10.4K | 33 |
| RI | $208.01 | $2.0M | 9.5K | 3 |
| NM | $207.67 | $1.6M | 7.8K | 22 |
| VT | $207.59 | $1.2M | 6.0K | 29 |
| PA | $206.97 | $22.1M | 106.9K | 214 |
| ME | $205.88 | $1.5M | 7.2K | 36 |
| WI | $204.77 | $5.5M | 27.0K | 67 |
| NE | $204.39 | $9.6M | 46.9K | 23 |
| IL | $204.35 | $29.5M | 144.3K | 102 |
| ID | $204.01 | $535.5K | 2.6K | 24 |
| UT | $203.94 | $909.6K | 4.5K | 15 |
| FL | $203.06 | $24.8M | 122.1K | 60 |
| NJ | $202.55 | $45.0M | 222.0K | 65 |
| MI | $201.34 | $15.2M | 75.3K | 72 |
| MO | $199.47 | $4.8M | 24.2K | 81 |
| IA | $199.42 | $1.1M | 5.7K | 48 |
| OK | $198.36 | $4.5M | 22.6K | 61 |
| KS | $197.51 | $1.5M | 7.3K | 54 |
| VA | $197.12 | $13.3M | 67.2K | 48 |
| TX | $192.86 | $49.1M | 254.4K | 215 |
| OH | $192.17 | $23.5M | 122.2K | 100 |
| IN | $191.91 | $10.2M | 52.9K | 64 |
| AR | $191.17 | $4.8M | 25.1K | 39 |
| KY | $188.88 | $8.0M | 42.2K | 113 |
| NC | $186.81 | $18.1M | 97.1K | 100 |
| LA | $186.76 | $8.5M | 45.5K | 14 |
| GU | $183.96 | $591.8K | 3.2K | 3 |
| PR | $180.60 | $321.8K | 1.8K | 26 |
| AL | $180.49 | $11.1M | 61.7K | 73 |
| WV | $179.70 | $8.2M | 45.9K | 66 |
| TN | $179.03 | $18.1M | 100.9K | 94 |
| MS | $178.66 | $5.5M | 31.0K | 20 |
| GA | $172.18 | $37.9M | 219.9K | 144 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewster Ambulance Service Inc. | Ambulance Service Provider | MA | $10.1M | 44.4K | $228.39 |
| Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service, Inc | Ambulance Service Provider | IL | $10.1M | 46.5K | $216.84 |
| Midwest Medical Transport Company Llc | Ambulance Service Provider | NE | $9.0M | 44.2K | $203.93 |
| Seniorcare Emergency Medical Services Inc. | Ambulance Service Provider | NY | $7.2M | 29.9K | $239.71 |
| Acadian Ambulance Service Of Texas Llc | Ambulance Service Provider | TX | $6.2M | 30.8K | $200.28 |
| Allmed Transportation Inc | Ambulance Service Provider | NJ | $5.8M | 30.8K | $189.02 |
| Ambulnz Ny Llc | Ambulance Service Provider | NY | $5.8M | 23.7K | $243.00 |
| Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc. | Ambulance Service Provider | LA | $5.2M | 28.3K | $184.05 |
| Richmond County Ambulance Service, Inc | Ambulance Service Provider | NY | $4.9M | 21.3K | $229.90 |
| Premier Medical Transport, Inc. | Ambulance Service Provider | CA | $4.5M | 18.9K | $239.38 |
| On Time Ambulance, Inc. | Ambulance Service Provider | NJ | $4.5M | 19.1K | $233.70 |
| Lifestar Response Of Maryland, Inc | Ambulance Service Provider | MD | $4.0M | 17.7K | $227.52 |
| Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service Of Michigan, Inc | Ambulance Service Provider | MI | $3.9M | 18.7K | $210.00 |
| Elite Medical Transportation Llc | Ambulance Service Provider | IL | $3.8M | 18.5K | $204.86 |
| County Of Pinellas Board Of County Commissioners | Ambulance Service Provider | FL | $3.7M | 18.8K | $198.81 |
| North Star Emergency Services, Inc. | Ambulance Service Provider | CA | $3.7M | 15.3K | $238.74 |
| Medstar, Inc. | Ambulance Service Provider | MI | $3.4M | 16.7K | $205.85 |
| Lifeline Ambulance Service Inc | Ambulance Service Provider | NY | $3.3M | 13.8K | $242.51 |
| Viking Enterprises Inc. | Ambulance Service Provider | TX | $3.2M | 15.4K | $208.81 |
| Coastal Medical Transportation Services Llc | Ambulance Service Provider | MA | $3.2M | 15.7K | $204.20 |
Based on the data, CPT A0428 shows a 1.4x variation in pricing across states — relatively consistent by Medicare standards.
Costs have increased 21.9% since 2014. Medicare's fee schedule attempts to standardize pricing, though some variation is expected due to geographic cost-of-living adjustments and practice expense differences.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.