Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS) Section 8 (Facilities Costs) Import Template	
"Please carefully read the instructions on this tab before entering data on the ""Facilities"" tab. Failure to do so may result in errors when you import your responses in Section 8."	
	
OVERVIEW: 	
Ground ambulance organizations can respond to a set of Section 8 questions on facility costs by entering information on each facility individually via the web-based GADCS or by completing and importing this template. Use of the template is optional. Ground ambulance organizations with fewer than 5 facilities may find it easier to enter information facility-by-facility than to complete and import this template. 	
"This template imports information only for Section 8.1, Questions 1, 2, 3 and Section 8.2, Questions 1 and 2. You must respond to other Section 8 questions directly in the web-based GADCS instrument."	
	
INSTRUCTIONS: 	
"1.) Identify in-scope facilities and costs: Section 8 asks about the facilities costs for your ground ambulance organization. Please think about any facilitiesfor dispatch/call centers, vehicle storage, administrative and EMT staff, or other activities to support your organizations ground ambulance services. Do not include insurance, maintenance, utilities, and tax expenses in your reported costs of ownership in this workbook. You will report on these costs in the Insurance, Maintenance, Utilities, and Taxes section. In general, do not include facilities that were used by contracted entities that your organization does not occupy itself (e.g., call center to which you pay a monthly fee for call services). The only exception is if you answer ""yes"" to the second response option in Section 2, Question 18: if you do, enter the main facilities used by the organization with which you contract to provide emergency medical services and select ""Donated"" instead of rent/leased, mortgaged, or owned, and select ""Yes"" in the ""No Annual Costs"" column for these facilities (described in more detail below)."	
"2.) Read instrument instructions: It is important to check that your responses within each row are consistent with GADCS instructions. Otherwise, the GADCS will display error messages when you try to import the template. Please follow these rules:"	
"a.) For each facility, enter ""Yes"" in only one of these four columns: (1) Rent/leased [Yes/No]; (2) Mortgaged [Yes/No]; (3) Owned [Yes/No]; (4) Donated [Yes/No] "	
"b.) For each facility, answer only one of these three columns: (1) Annual rental cost; (2) Annual Depreciation Expense; (3) Total acquisition costs"	
"c.) Carefully read the template column list (below) to determine which questions are required for which facilities. For example, ""Annual Rental Costs"" is only required if you entered ""Yes"" in the ""rent/lease payments?"" column for the facility."	
"3.) Enter information in the ""Facilities"" tab: Do not modify the layout of the ""Facilities"" tab including Row 1. Enter information only in Columns A through L. Starting in Row 2 on the ""Facilities"" tab, enter information separately for each facility, one facility per row. Descriptions of each column heading listed below. When a column heading is not required for the given facility, leave the corresponding cell blank (see example at end). "	
"4.) Upload file: When you are finished inputting the required information, save the file and upload it in Section 8 of the GADCS. If there are errors, you will see error messages highlighting which cells contain errors."	
	
TEMPLATE COLUMN LIST: 	
"Facility name: Please provide a name or function for the facilities that were used to support your organizations ground ambulance services (e.g., dispatch/call center, garage, administrative building, EMT staff building). If you had one building for dispatch/call centers, garages, and administrative and EMT staff, list only that one building. Free-text response. Required for all facilities."	
"Rent/Leased: Your organization or another entity made rent or lease payments for the facility. Enter ""Yes"" or ""No"". Required for all facilities."	
"Mortgaged: Your organization or another entity owned the facility and made mortgage, interest, or other payments towards ownership. Enter ""Yes"" or ""No"". Required for all facilities."	
"Owned: Your organization or another entity owns the facility outright. Enter ""Yes"" or ""No"". Required for all facilities."	
"Donated: Facility was donated  no costs (excluding maintenance, utilities, insurance, and taxes). Enter ""Yes"" or ""No"". Required for all facilities. Enter ""yes"" if you answered ""yes"" to the second response option in Section 2, Question 18 and if this facility is used by the organization from which you broadly contract EMS services."	
"Square footage:  Facility square footage. Enter a positive integer (i.e., a number greater than zero without fractions or decimals). Required for all facilities."	
"% for Ground Ambulance:  Percentage of your facility square footage related to ground ambulance services. Enter an integer (i.e., a number without fractions or decimals) 1-100. Required for all facilities."	
"Annual Rental Costs: Annual lease or rental costs for the facility. Enter a positive integer. Required for facilities where ""Rent/Leased"" is answered ""Yes"" only."	
"Annual Depreciation Expense: Annual depreciation expense. Enter a positive integer. Only organizations that can answer ""Yes"" to the question ""Did your organization calculate annual depreciation expenses for some or of your facilities during your organization's data collection period?"" should input information in this column. These organizations should input an answer for facilities where ""Mortgaged"" or ""Owned"" is answered ""yes"" only. "	
Total Acquisition Cost: Total acquisition cost if purchased outright during your organization's data collection period. Enter $0 or a positive integer. Required for facilities purchased outright during the data collection period only when an organization does not enter an annual depreciation expense. 	
"Other Annual Costs of Ownership: Annual mortgage interest, bond interest, or other costs of ownership (including payments against principal if annual depreciation expense not reported). Enter $0 or a positive integer. Required for facilities where ""Mortgaged"" or ""Owned"" is answered ""Yes"" only. "	
"No Annual Costs: No Annual Costs: No annual costs of ownership (excluding maintenance, utilities, insurance, and taxes) for fully owned or donated facilities. Enter ""Yes"" or ""No."" Required for facilities where ""Owned"" or ""Donated"" is answered ""Yes"" only. Enter ""yes"" if you answered ""yes"" to the second response option in Section 2, Question 18 and if this facility is used by the organization from which you broadly contract EMS services."	
	
EXAMPLE: 	
"There is an example included on the tab called ""example"". It provides an example of a fire-based organization with four facilities: three owned and one rented. The organization answered ""Yes"" to the question ""Did your organization calculate annual depreciation expenses for some or all facilities during your organization's data collection year?"". This example illustrates what type of data an organization should put in each row and when cells should be left blank. This example is for illustrative purposes only and may not be representative of a typical organization. "	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
