This 'service' is a business activity which charges fees and is not a tax supported "free" service. It is however a publicly owned and operated activity which has to publish its schedule of fees for service. I suggest that the way it publishes the fee schedule is not user friendly.
EMS BILLING PROCEDURE
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1. The Montrose Fire Protection District will not withhold emergency medical treatment or transportation due to lack of insurance or inability to pay for services.
2. The Montrose Fire Protection District reserves the right to deny transport to private residences, non-emergency facilities and/or transportation to out of town facilities if the required level of medical care is available at local facilities.
3. Patients who legally refuse treatment and/or transportation will not be charged or billed for services.
4. Patients receiving treatment from the Montrose Fire Protection District who are not transported to a medical facility can be subject to reasonable charges and billed for services provided.
5. All patients transported by the Montrose Fire Protection District will be charged in accordance with the Rates/Fee Schedule section of this policy.
6. Patients eligible for, and participating within, the Medicare program will be charged, billed, and collected from in accordance with the Medicare Fee Schedule, and all rules and regulations therein.
7. Patients that are not eligible for and are not participating in the Medicare program will be charged and billed at the ALS-2 rate, regardless of the level of treatment provided, as long as ALS providers are present as part of the responding crew.
8. The Montrose Fire Protection District will contract with Business Options, L.L.C. to provide billing services.
RATES/FEE SCHEDULE:
a. Treat [defined] and Release ($150.00)
b. Basic Life Support, Emergency ($450.00) [How about ALS?]
c. Advanced Life Support-1, Emergency ($575.00)
d. Advanced Life Support-2 ($700.00)
e. Specialty Care Transport ($825.00)
2. Mileage ($15.00/mile): Mileage will be charged to all patients transported from a scene to a facility, or from a facility to another facility. Mileage is not charged for response to the scene or originating facility.
3. Waiting Time: ($100.00/hour, billed in half-hour increments)
Does anyone care? Or does anyone read this strange stuff?
1. Base Rates: An appropriate base rate will be charged to all patients transported by the Montrose Fire Protection District.• Charged to any Non-Medicare patient who receives ALS treatment from providers but is not transported to a facility.• Charged to Medicare patients who receive assessment, treatment, and transportation at the BLS level.• Charged to Medicare patients determined dead on scene and not transported, regardless of the level of care provided. [Pardon me, but that is simply milking the Medicare system and running up the cost for no good reason. No wonder the Medicare costs soar.]• Charged to Medicare patients who receive a medically necessary ALS assessment and/or one or two medications or an IV, if established by an ALS provider. [Does not the MFPD provide ALS on all 911 first response EMS calls?]• Charged to all Non-Medicare patients who are treated and transported by an ALS provider. [Without regard to a determination of medical necessity? Medicare has a cap, screw the others for as much as their insurance will pay.]• Charged to Medicare patients who receive [bla-bla] 3 or more medication administrations by IV push or bolus and/or the provision of at least one of the following procedures: Manual defibrillation, cardio-version, external pacemaker, intubation, central line, needle thoracotomy, cricothyrotomy, or intra-osseous infusion. [Milk Medicare• Charge for all Medicare and Non-Medicare inter-facility transports done at a service level beyond the scope of practice for the standard paramedic (i.e. Heparin drip, Nitro drip, ventilators, etc.) or when ongoing specialty care is required. [The definition is inadequate as to BLS and ALS which are the standards of practice.] • Charged to patients who require [authorize] crew and ambulance to wait at a facility for treatments or procedures prior to being transported. • Charged to Event Host for stand-by services at for-profit events. [When was the last time we had one of those?]Effective: August 1, 2006This billing procedure is intended to insure appropriate billing methods in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations regarding medical billing for patients who receive emergency medical assessment, treatments, and/or transportation by the Montrose Fire Protection District.PROCEDURE:
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