Ambulance transportation guideline

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View our individual guidelines to focus on the topics that matter to you. These are also available in plain language versions which are easier to understand (called MyGuides).

Ambulance transportation guideline (PDF, 236KB)

MyGuide5: ambulance transport (PDF, 154KB)

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  • Defined terms are shown throughout in bold underlined text when they first appear.

    Ambulance transportation means transport services for a participant provided by a state or territory emergency service outside of Queensland, which provides:

    • non-emergency pre-hospital patient care and transport
    • specialised transport services
    • inter-hospital transfers
    • Patient Transport Service
    • dispatch and coordination of non-urgent patient transport services.

    Public sector health service means any service provided by, or under any of the following (and includes ambulance transportation):

  • The NIISQ Agency will identify a participant’s needs for (or relating to) participant ambulance transportation and will fund these supports in accordance with the National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Act 2016, the National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Regulation 2016, this guideline, and other relevant guidelines.

    There is a plain language version of this guideline which is shorter and uses simpler words. To access it, view MyGuide 5 – Ambulance transport.

    This guideline should be read in conjunction with the Necessary and reasonable guideline.

  • Written approval is required from the NIISQ Agency before planned ambulance transportation services are provided to a participant.

    The NIISQ Agency does not require prior written approval when transportation is required by a participant in an emergency.

    If the NIISQ Agency is asked to fund ambulance transportation in circumstances where the transportation was urgent and prior approval was not provided, the NIISQ Agency may require information to demonstrate that the ambulance transportation was necessary and reasonable, consistent with this guideline, and not for other reasons (for example, emergency medical treatment that is unrelated to a participant’s accepted injury).

  • The National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Act 2016 and National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Regulation 2016 describe how the NIISQ Agency decides whether participant ambulance transportation is necessary and reasonable, and can be funded.

    The NIISQ Agency has published a guideline which explains how it decides whether a support is necessary and reasonable, and is for a treatment, care and support need (see: Necessary and reasonable guideline).

    When the NIISQ Agency is assessing whether the participant’s needs for participant ambulance transportation are necessary and reasonable, it will give particular consideration to:

    • whether the ambulance transportation is required for the participant’s accepted injury
    • the benefits of ambulance transportation to the participant
    • the reason why the ambulance transportation is needed, for example if it is between hospitals, from a hospital to the participant’s residence after a stay in hospital as an inpatient, or for other medical, treatment or therapy
    • if the need for ambulance transportation is in relation to other treatment and services, such as medical treatment and surgery
    • if other services, such as vehicle modifications, have been provided that will eliminate the need for ambulance transportation how long the participant requires the ambulance transportation.

  • In assessing a participant’s needs for ambulance transportation, the NIISQ Agency will ordinarily require information which demonstrates that the ambulance transportation is necessary and reasonable compared with alternatives.

    Identifying a participant’s treatment, care and support needs is done in collaboration with the participant, their family and/or other informal supports, and providers.

    Information required by the NIISQ Agency to assess needs

    The information required by the NIISQ Agency generally includes:

    • advice from a medical practitioner, allied health provider, registered nurse, clinical nurse or nurse practitioner about why ambulance transportation is required for a participant
    • information about pre-existing or co-existing medical conditions that may impact on the participant’s needs for, or in connection with, ambulance transportation
    • an itemised quotation for the ambulance transportation services.

  • The NIISQ Agency does not fund participant ambulance transportation that is provided:

    Where transportation services are provided by or under a public sector health service, the NIISQ Agency will not fund the service. For example, emergency ambulance services provided by the Queensland Ambulance Service to a participant for a need which is unrelated to their accepted injury, or an ambulance service required by a public sector health service to safely transport a participant.

  • The NIISQ Agency will generally not fund ambulance transport or expenses related to ambulance transport:

    • that are provided under an existing fee agreement with an ambulance transport provider
    • that are attendance-only charges
    • where a participant is otherwise entitled to ambulance transportation services under a law or policy in another state or territory.

Last updated: July 2024