2025 HCPCS code A0430
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Transportation - Air Ambulance Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies Feed
One-way transport of a patient via conventional fixed-wing air ambulance.
Modifiers may apply to specify the origin and destination of the transport, as per payer guidelines.
Medical necessity is established when ground ambulance transport is impractical or impossible due to the patient's critical condition, geographic location, or environmental factors such as severe weather or impassable terrain.The physician's order justifying air transport should be documented.
The clinical responsibility lies with the air ambulance crew, comprised of trained emergency medical professionals.Their duties include assessing the patient's condition en route, providing necessary emergency care, and ensuring safe transport to the designated healthcare facility.
In simple words: This code covers a one-way trip in a plane ambulance.It's used when a regular ambulance can't get to the patient or the patient needs to get to the hospital very quickly.
This HCPCS code represents the one-way transportation of a patient using a conventional fixed-wing air ambulance service.Air ambulances are specially equipped aircraft used to move patients to and from healthcare facilities.Their use is typically indicated when ground transport is unsuitable due to the patient's condition, distance, or other factors like traffic or impassable terrain. Air ambulance staff are trained emergency professionals, and the aircraft carries specialized equipment and supplies. This code applies solely to one-way transport by fixed-wing aircraft.
Example 1: A patient experiencing a severe heart attack in a remote area requires rapid transport to a specialized cardiac center.A fixed-wing air ambulance is dispatched, and code A0430 is used to bill for the one-way transport., A patient involved in a serious motor vehicle accident in a mountainous region needs immediate evacuation to a trauma center. Due to road inaccessibility, an air ambulance is necessary, and code A0430 is used for billing., A critically ill patient needs to be transferred from a rural hospital lacking specialized care to a tertiary care center in a major city.A fixed-wing air ambulance facilitates this transfer, and code A0430 is utilized for billing the one-way transport.
Documentation should include the patient's condition necessitating air transport, the origin and destination of the transport, the date and time of transport, and the names and qualifications of the air ambulance crew.Supporting medical records might be required, depending on payer guidelines.
** This code is for one-way transport only.Separate billing is required for the return trip, if applicable.Specific payer requirements and local regulations should be reviewed for accurate billing.
- Payment Status: Active
- Specialties:Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine
- Place of Service:Ambulance - Air or Water