Title
PRESENTATION OF EMS CHARGES FOR SERVICE AND COST RECOVERY
Body
Issue/Request:
PRESENTATION OF EMS CHARGES FOR SERVICE AND COST RECOVERY
Key Issues:
On February 11, 2016, City Council passed Ordinance No. 7815, an ordinance "establishing the rate of recovery of emergency medical services charges to be assessed to users of EMS within the city in an amount greater than or equal to 50% of the calculated average cost of EMS Services..." This ordinance has informed the EMS charges for service on the City Schedule of Fees document for the fiscal years 2017 and 2018. For FY18, the calculation has recommended a 29.2% increase in EMS charges for service.
Staff has prepared a presentation to discuss Fire Department and EMS call volume statistics; demographic and market data; as well as projected future cost recovery ratios under the current regime.
Background:
The following are definitions of Ambulance Services from the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual:
BLS:
Basic Life Support (BLS) is transportation by ground ambulance vehicle and the provision of medically necessary supplies and services, including BLS ambulance services as defined by the state.
The ambulance vehicle must be staffed by at least two people who meet the requirements of the state and local laws where the services are being furnished, and at least one of the staff members must be certified at a minimum as an emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-Basic) by the state or local authority where the services are being furnished and be legally authorized to operate all lifesaving and life-sustaining equipment on board the vehicle. These laws may vary from state to state or within a state.
ALS1:
Advanced life support, level 1 (ALS1) is the transportation by ground ambulance vehicle and the provision of medically necessary supplies and services including the provision of an ALS assessment by ALS personnel or at least one ALS intervention.
ALS2:
Advanced life support, level 2 (ALS2) is the transportation by ground ambulance vehicle and the provision of medically necessary supplies and services including (1) at least three separate administrations of one or more medications by intravenous (IV) push/bolus or by continuous infusion (excluding crystalloid fluids) or (2) ground ambulance transport, medically necessary supplies and services, and the provision of at least one of the ALS2 procedures listed below:
a. Manual defibrillation/cardioversion
b. Endotracheal intubation
c. Central venous line
d. Cardiac pacing
e. Chest decompression
f. Surgical airway
g. Intragasseous line
Presenter
Presenter: Jack Feldman, Administration Management Analyst
Recommendation
Recommendation: N/A
Committee Recommendation
Committee Recommendation: N/A