Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 19, 1995 TAG: 9508210021
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
The city contracts with Radford Community Hospital to provide ambulance service and tax dollars cover 85 percent of the costs. However, EMS reimburses the city from its collections.
Emergency Medical Services Operations Manager David Smith told council that ambulance vehicles and personnel already meet Advanced Life Support guidelines but the service may not pass along the additional cost to Medicare and private insurers without council's approval.
"We lose a tremendous amount of money each run," Smith said.
The change means the cost of an ambulance ride will rise from $118 to nearly $197.
Councilman David Worrell, who later cast the only vote against the resolution, asked Smith how many uninsured patients the ambulance typically carries.
Smith replied it was fewer than 15 percent, and, although, by law, all ambulance clients are billed, the EMS service frequently writes off debts for those lacking the financial resources to pay the bill.
Overall, he said, the EMS service collections average about two-thirds of the total amount billed. June figures show that ambulances responded to approximately 1,000 calls, but typically transport a patient only 65 percent to 75 percent of the time.
"We're still billing below our cost of production," Smith said.
However, Worrell said he has a problem with charging more "because you're able to."
Smith said costs have risen, and each ambulance run costs the taxpayers $235. He said raising the standard is an effort to collect more health care dollars and would mean more dollars coming back to the city's coffers in reimbursements.
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