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Urbana council updates EMS billing rules, city expects higher reimbursements
Summary
Council passed an ordinance amending code chapter 141 to update ambulance and EMS billing, add dynamic fee-setting and expand billable services; staff estimated a 10–15% increase in collections and projected roughly $500,000 in annual EMS-related revenue before the change.
On third reading the Urbana City Council approved an ordinance amending Chapter 141 of the codified ordinances to change indemnity language for emergency medical technicians and to update ambulance and EMS billing procedures.
Fire department leadership and staff presented the changes, which include recognition of a locally separate nonprofit organization (Box 13) in the indemnity section, a prohibition on Box 13 members participating in fire/EMS operations, and a move from static ambulance fee schedules to a dynamic fee structure tied to annually updated allowable amounts determined with the city’s EMS billing vendor.
Staff said the dynamic approach reflects contractual adjustments made by insurers and should increase annual collections by an estimated 10 to 15 percent within a year. The presentation said the city currently receives about $500,000 annually in EMS-related billing revenue and that the updated billing structure will extend billing to fire and rescue services that can be billed to insurance. Staff also said the city plans to send nonresident delinquent accounts to the state attorney general’s collection office.
Council members asked few questions; the ordinance was approved by roll call on third reading. The ordinance was sponsored by Councilwoman Collier and was presented by the chief of the fire division during the meeting.
