ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 25, 1997 TAG: 9702250043
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PEARISBURG
SOURCE: TOM ANGLEBERGER STAFF WRITER
The Giles County Rescue Squad can no longer afford to operate as a free service, squad officials told the Giles County Board of Supervisors on Thursday.
Squad President Steve Davis asked the board to approve a plan to begin charging patients who are transported to the hospital. Standard cases would be billed $150 and cases involving advanced measures would be billed $250. Labor and mileage would be an additional charge.
The supervisors passed a motion allowing the rescue squad to prepare for the new billing procedure. However, they will not vote to allow the program to begin until after a public hearing has been held at 6 p.m. March 6.
The squad does not plan to prosecute anyone who cannot pay or deny service to anyone with outstanding debts, Davis assured the board. However, he thinks the squad must at least attempt to be reimbursed for its costs.
"We're not asking for a handout, we're asking for a helping hand," he said. "We're ... between a rock and a hard place. The rescue squad is facing a funding crisis."
Davis said a large problem is declining attendance at squad bingo games, which he said has been cut in half. He also said voluntary contributions have dropped from $11,000 to $3,000 a year. If nothing is done, he said, the rescue squad faces a downward spiral and eventually the existence of the squad could be in jeopardy.
Davis told the board that the rescue squad has considered other options but believed they were too costly to the county. With this plan, many of the costs will be paid by insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid, he said. To be sure that the fees would be acceptable, squad officials used figures approved by insurance companies in deciding how much to charge. However, they say it is possible that an insurance company will not pay the entire amount.
In these cases and in cases where the patient has no insurance, the rescue squad will seek payment directly from the patient. However, officials say they will not aggressively seek payment and will be understanding in dealing with those who cannot pay.
Officials estimate that between 800 and 1,000 calls will be billable each year. The money generated will be used to replace worn out vehicles and equipment, they say.
Davis said that not only will the funds stop any downward spiral, they will actually improve the service to residents.
If the billing begins, said Davis, it will take about six months for sufficient funds to grow. He said this is too long for the squad to wait for more funding. Squad members have voted to seek a $20,000 bank loan to cover operational expenses until then, he said.
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