Healthcare Roundup—D.C. will no longer guarantee ambulance rides for nonserious conditions

Residents of the District of Columbia who call 911 will no longer be guaranteed an ambulance ride to a nearby hospital if responding medics and a nurse determine that their ailments are too minor to warrant the trip, The Washington Post reported. Patients with nonserious conditions will instead be put on a phone call with a nurse to help them find care elsewhere, such as a primary care facility, officials announced. The new policy is part of the city's Right Care, Right Now nurse triage line that launched last year in Washington's 911 center. Georgia legislators put the bullseye on surprise billing—but plans may hit a snag. Georgia state legislators have introduced two bills so far this year that take aim at balance, or surprise, billing—but neither has garnered a chamber vote.