The Daily Herald has an article outlining an increase in ambulance fees in Glen Ellyn.
Glen Ellyn is preparing to raise ambulance fees for nonresidents and to charge for some emergency calls it previously handled for free.
Trustees this week unanimously approved three changes to the fee structure to take effect June 15, 2014, with an eye toward offsetting rising costs.
“The fees play an important role in allowing the village to deliver exceptional (emergency medical service),” Assistant Village Manager Al Stonitsch said. “While they don’t produce a profit, they do help defray some of the costs.”
Officials, for example, said the village spent $1,055,372 in fiscal 2012-13 to provide ambulance service but collected only $744,544 in fees.
Under the first change approved this week, nonresident fees for two types of advanced life-support services will increase by $103 and $219, respectively, from the previous rates of $1,097 and $1,181. Resident fees and fees for basic life-support will remain at their current rates.
A second change is the adoption of two new fee categories for calls where patients are treated but not transported, and for citizen assist calls. The village does not currently charge for such calls, but noted they account for roughly 25 percent of ambulance responses each year.
In researching 18 comparable communities and fire districts, officials found many already are charging for such “treat/no transport” calls. Naperville, near the lower end, charges $50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. The cost in Hinsdale is $450 and $650, respectively.
Village officials recommended the board adopt fees of $100 and $150 for “treat/no transport” calls and $50 and $100, respectively, for citizen assists.
In adding the fees for citizen assists, officials hope to discourage calls that don’t require an ambulance, Fire Chief Jim Bodony said.
Bodony said those calls frequently involve elderly residents who may have fallen out of bed at home or at a senior care facility.
“We get the call because they’ve fallen and just need the fire department to get them back in bed,” he said.
Village officials said adding a fee would prevent senior care facilities from using EMS as a backup when they don’t have adequate staff.
“I don’t know about the other trustees, but I would favor a higher nonresident rate for the senior facilities that are basically using the paramedics as their backup because they don’t want to pay for the nighttime help,” Trustee Tim Elliott said.
To soften the impact of the citizen assist fee, particularly among low-frequency users, village officials had proposed a “three strike” rule in which patients who receive citizen assist service would not be billed until the fourth occurrence.
The board eventually tabled that proposal.
Trustees also approved a third change to adopt an annual fee escalation clause that will increase by 2 percent or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. That change will begin in June 2016.
thanks Dan
A previous post on funding for the Glen Ellyn VFD.
#1 by T. B. on December 5, 2013 - 10:29 PM
Does anyone know why Lincolnwood is not responding to any calls with an engine? I have heard on AFA’s and Code 3 Niles Engine 3 as first due?
#2 by Drew Smith on December 5, 2013 - 10:11 PM
When it comes to charging for EMS here are some facts based on my 24-plus years as a chief officer. 1) You can charge whatever you want but that does not mean you will collect. Every service area has a different payer mix. 2) Payer mix is predominately four groups: Medicare, Medicaid, Private Insurance, and Self-Payers, who are many times non-payers. 3) You need to know your payer mix as it determines your overall collection rate. 4) Medicare pay a fixed amount – not a penny more – and those on Medicare cannot be charged more than this amount. If you charge less than the amount you’ll get that amount but if you charge more you won’t get it, you can’t ask the beneficiary to pay it, and you eat it. Currently Medicare pays about $350 for BLS and $425 for ALS regardless of whether or not your patient is your resident. MC pays 80% and the beneficiary is to pay 20% (I will not go into how you can document that a resident paid the 20% using their property tax payment). 5) Medicare and most insurance will only pay for transport to a hospital, not a clinic or for treat-and-release although a bug part of the PPACA (Obamacare) is to change this. If it is a vehicle crash you have a better chance to get private insurance to pay but it’s a different process than health insurance. 6) If your goal is to get the customer to open his or her wallet be careful how you proceed because if you tick them off and they can vote they may (especially if you’re a fire district). My FD bills, we have a good payer mix, and collect about 75% of what we bill. We feel we are doing pretty good with the program.
#3 by Scott on December 5, 2013 - 6:52 PM
Mike, how will Grandma dying in her sleep be a lawsuit? Why, because she will be hesitant to call? Most communities do charge for EMS/Ambulance services. Most are paid for from insurance. Some at 100%, some at negotiated rates just like any doctor or dentist visit. Some towns take what they get and dont’ collect on outstanding debt, some do. Even when they get 100% it is FAR from covering the cost of what the call and supplies used was.
#4 by DMc77 on December 2, 2013 - 6:57 PM
My agency debated charging for invalid assists awhile back. When you go to the same place 2-3 times a week for months on end it starts costing money. But those were cases of abuse. Carrying a 300lb woman up and down a long flight of stairs for a MD apt three times a week is not what the system was designed for.
#5 by Mike Mc on December 2, 2013 - 3:52 PM
I never heard of a department charging for assistance for an invalid before. Sounds like a slippery slope to me. Some litigator is already thinking of how they will have grandma call three times in one year, then sue after she dies in her sleep.
#6 by 0.02 on December 2, 2013 - 2:52 PM
Some of the fees you’re charging you will never get. It’s also not going to force an assisted living facility to do anything but call 911 and they still are not gonna pay your bill. Fire and EMS services cost money. You will never break even let alone make money off of services.