To recover costs and improve emergency medical services, the Olympia City Council evaluated a new ordinance allowing the Olympia Fire Department to bill for Basic Life Support (BLS) transport services.
The plan reviewed by the city council on August 5 would establish a $1,300 base rate for BLS transports, plus $28.75 per mile from the emergency scene to the hospital.
Olympia City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance permitting the OFD to bill patients over $1,300 for Basic Life Saving ambulance transport.
JOLT Staff Photo via Zoom
Fire Chief Matt Morris and Deputy Chief Mike Buchanan presented the details of the new program to the council.
Buchanan recounted that the fire department worked with FCS Financial Group in 2022 to set these transport billing rates based on an analysis of the funding and sustainability of the program.
Under the new policy, Buchanan said the patients would first be billed to their insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or other payers. Any remaining balance of the bill would be the responsibility of the patient. "But if the patient can't pay, they can write a city form attesting to their financial plight. That could be processed, and that expense can be waived."
The deputy chief assured that everyone will receive transport or emergency medical services, regardless of their ability to pay.
Olympia Fire Department Chief Matt Morris presents details of a new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) billing program to city council on Aug. 5, 2024.
JOLT Staff Photo via Zoom
Morris explained the BLS program has been building for several years, which was initially approved by the city council in 2022 and funded in 2023.
In 2023, the OFD hired 29 people and is currently hiring an additional six. The fire department was able to staff and deploy the new aid units. The first ones went into service on the west side in January, followed by services on the east side from Station 4 in July.
The fire department will closely monitor data on transports and collections through a third-party billing service. They also plan to track data on internal performance, including the transport system, patient care, quality improvement, quality assurance, and compliance with regulations.
"There'll be a tremendous amount of data-driven decision-making, especially when we start talking about the deployment of the location. We've placed them where we think they should go, and we'll monitor that. If they need to be adjusted around the city, then we can do so as well," Morris stated.
"I'm pleased that we've struck a compassionate policy," Councilmember Jim Cooper said. "It's been about 10 years since I've been asking for this, and I'm very excited."
The Olympia City Council is scheduled to hold a second reading on August 13 for the approval of an ordinance amending the Olympia Municipal Code to add a new chapter, OMC 4.39, relating to the recovery of costs for providing BLS emergency medical services transportation.
The new EMS transport billing program would go into effect on October 1.
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jimlazar
I was transported by the Nashville Fire Department about ten years ago.
The initial response was an Basic Life Support response. I had fallen hard on ice, and called out for help. When the initial crew, the fire engine, arrived, I had no feeling in my legs. Appropriately concerned about a spinal injury, they made a decision to leave me on the ground until the paramedics arrived, which shifted me into and Advanced Life Support response. My vitals were fine. By the time the paramedics arrived, I had regained feeling (whew!), and they stood me up.
But in the fall, I had injured both thumbs, and could not hold the pen to sign the form that I was declining further assistance.
I had them take me to the hospital, where a CT scan and some xrays showed nothing broken. I took a taxi back to where I was staying, took some pain meds, and flew home to Olympia the next day.
Two months later, I received a bill for $720 from the Nashville Fire Department for a transport. That's about $1,000 in 2024 dollars. I was a little surprised. My health insurance (Group Health at the time) paid 80%, and I paid 20%. I paid the $144, and got on with my life.
I expect a similar result from Olympia's BLS transport. People will get bills. Insurance coverage will pay most of the bill. People will be responsible for a portion of the bill. And people will be surprised to receive large bills from a municipal fire department. But it's become quite common around the state and around the country.
I've not seen the cost of service study that went into establishing either the $1,300 basic fee or the $28.75/mile fee. If I had been told of the $720 fee, I might have summoned the confidence to call a taxi to take me to the hospital. I suspect many people will make the same mistake I did a decade ago -- not knowing the cost of the transport, and assuming that like other fire department services to the public, there would not be a bill.
It should be required that people needing BLS transport be given their options. In my case, with sprained thumbs, a taxi would have been fine. But, if I had a simple broken leg (also a BLS transport) the options would be fewer.
What the article is missing is how much the local private ambulance companies, Olympic and AMR, charge for BLS transports. They do a lot of them -- including for Olympia prior to now. This program has been launched because AMR was not providing service that the City Council considered adequate. I know of people who waited an hour or more for a BLS transport. And that tied up the City fire engine and firefighter/EMTs until transport could be secured. That was a problem. This is a solution.
Back in 2012, I served on the City's Budget Advisory Committee (which no longer exists -- the City Manager did not like citizens second-guessing his budget staff). We gave the city a list of $16 million in revenue options. Charging for emergency medical response was one of the items we presented. A dozen years later, the City is implementing this change.
Perhaps other readers have received bills for transport from Olympia or AMR, and can share how much they were billed. Bellevue charges $950 plus $15/mile.
I am disappointed that the City is only charging for TRANSPORT, not for RESPONSE. Many of the calls to 911 are for minor issues, including falls in assisted living properties. The properties have known that the fire department response is free, so they call for assistance. We, as taxpayers, tie up a professional crew and a million-dollar fire engine to do something a lower-trained person can do. I would have preferred that ALL responses get billed, not just TRANSPORT.
In Renton, there is a specific provision in their fee ordinance that a resident who provides the City with their insurance information will NOT be charged any amount for transport that is in excess of what their insurance company covers. That would be a reassuring feature for the Olympia ordinance. https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Renton/html/Renton05/Renton0524.html
There will be some grumpiness as this goes into effect.
Saturday, August 10, 2024 Report this
BillString
Hmmm. I wonder when they'll start charging people for rescuing cats from trees. Or perhaps an hourly fee for the time it takes to put out a fire, billable to the homeowner?
Saturday, August 10, 2024 Report this
Somney
I think this is regressive.
Sunday, August 11, 2024 Report this
JW
If I'm paying for a transport to the hospital either way, I'd rather my money went to the local fire department and not a multi-national corporation.
Tuesday, August 13, 2024 Report this