Final answer:
When an ambulance company thinks Medicare may not cover a nonemergency service, they may have a patient sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN), which informs the patient that they may be responsible for payment if Medicare does not cover the ambulance service.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the ambulance company believes that Medicare will not pay for the patient's nonemergency ambulance service, they might ask the patient to sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN). This is a written notice that the ambulance service provider gives to a Medicare beneficiary when the provider believes Medicare is likely not to pay for some or all of the services because they are not considered medically necessary. The ABN allows the patient to make an informed decision about whether to receive the services and accept financial responsibility if Medicare does not pay.
Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to receive an ABN from providers before receiving services that are likely to be denied by Medicare. Signing the ABN does not mean that the patient cannot submit a claim to Medicare but indicates that the patient understands they may have to pay for the service themselves if Medicare denies payment.