Summary & Overview
HCPCS A0380: BLS Mileage (Per Mile)
HCPCS Level II code A0380 designates basic life support (BLS) mileage billed on a per-mile basis for ground ambulance transport. This code captures the distance component of BLS transport and is commonly used by emergency medical services and ambulance providers to bill mileage separately from on-scene care or transport-level services. Nationally, accurate reporting of mileage codes like A0380 matters for appropriate payment for non-hospital transportation, program integrity, and consistent claims processing across payers.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an explanation of the code’s clinical and billing context, typical sites of service, the common modifiers associated with ambulance claims, and how mileage reporting integrates with service-line billing. The publication provides benchmarks and comparison points where available, summarizes relevant policy considerations affecting mileage reimbursement, and highlights common billing situations and documentation expectations. Data not available in the input will be noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code A0380 represents BLS mileage (per mile), a transportation-related billing code used to report mileage for basic life support (BLS) transport on a per-mile basis. The code documents the distance component of non-emergency or emergency ground transport when BLS-level services are provided.
Service type: Basic Life Support (BLS) ground transport mileage
Typical site of service: Ground ambulance transport (origin and destination vary by patient need and transport circumstances)
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A patient requires transport via basic life support (BLS) ambulance for non-emergent or emergent ground transport where advanced life support interventions are not anticipated or required. Typical scenarios include interfacility transfer of a stable patient from a skilled nursing facility to an outpatient diagnostic appointment, transport from a clinic to hospital for observation when airway and circulatory stability are maintained, or discharge transport from inpatient to home requiring stretcher or assistance but not ALS care. The clinical workflow begins with a dispatch call and medical necessity determination, documentation of the pick-up and drop-off locations and mileage, verification of patient identity and condition, provision of BLS-level care during transport (oxygen, basic airway management, splinting, bleeding control, CPR if required), completion of the transport record including total miles, signatures, and any patient condition changes, and submission of the claim with A0380 billed per mile for mileage in conjunction with the appropriate ambulance service base code and level of service codes as applicable. Common payors for ambulance mileage reimbursement include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, BUCA, and Medicare.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
23 | Unusual Anesthesia | Not typically used for ; included for completeness when anesthesia-related unusual services affect transport coding. |