From 2020 through 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS) to gather information from selected ground ambulance providers and suppliers regarding the costs and delivery of ambulance services.

Key Points

• CMS selected participating ambulance organizations and assigned them to one of four reporting cohorts.
• Participants were required to collect data on operational costs, revenue, utilization, staffing, and other service-related information during a continuous 12-month data collection period.
• Data was submitted through the GADCS portal within five months following the completion of the organization's collection period.
• CMS provided guidance, educational resources, and reporting tools to support accurate and timely data submission.
• Organizations that did not meet reporting requirements could be subject to a 10 percent reduction in Medicare payments under the Medicare Part B Ambulance Fee Schedule for the following calendar year, unless a hardship exemption or favorable informal review determination was granted.
• The data collected through GADCS was provided to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to evaluate ambulance service costs and their relationship to Medicare payment rates. MedPAC submitted its Assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System Report to Congress on June 15, 2026.

Why It Matters

The GADCS was designed to provide CMS and Congress with more accurate information about the costs of furnishing ground ambulance services, helping inform future policy and payment decisions for Medicare ambulance transportation services.

Email AmbulanceDataCollection@cms.hhs.gov for ground ambulance data collection inquiries.

Email AmbulanceODF@cms.hhs.gov for other ambulance inquiries.

Resources

• Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System | CMS
• Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | CMS
• Medicare GADCS User Guide that walks you through the portal.
• Ground ambulance organizations required to collect data starting in 2023 (Year 3) and report data starting in 2024 (Year 4)
• GADCS Resources
• GADCS Section 8 (Facilities Costs) Import Template and Instructions
• GADCS Section 9 (Vehicle Costs) Import Template and Instructions
• Hardship Exemption Request Form (submit through the portal)
• Ground Ambulance Industry Trends, 2017-2020 Report: Analysis of Medicare Fee-for-Service Claims
• CMS Ambulance Events (upcoming events, prior webinar presentations, and event recordings)