The Longview City Council on April 10 voted 5-2 to outsource the city’s EMS billing to Emergicon and to adopt a revised EMS fee schedule intended to capture higher insurance reimbursements while preventing bills for uninsured residents.

Council members debated the financial and operational consequences of the change before the vote. Chief Parker said contracting out the billing would let the department "focus on the operations and providing the best prehospital care to our citizens and visitors" while experts handle complex billing. Emergicon representative Raheem Fancy told the council the company manages billing for roughly 200 agencies in Texas and recommended modest increases to mileage and other billing categories to align Longview with industry standards.

The company projected an average collection of about $446 per transport and estimated adjusted collections of roughly $5.4 million annually; Emergicon’s commission would be about 10 percent. Fancy said the proposed changes could bring "approximately 3.67% more per year, about a hundred $90,000" in net revenue for the city after the vendor fee. He added that the city would implement a resident write-off so that "city of Longview residents will be covered" and would not receive bills when no insurance applies.

Several council members pressed for details about the effect on uninsured or self-pay residents and on the city’s existing EMS subscription program. Fancy said self-pay patients "would fall under that resident write off category" and that Emergicon does not send written-off balances to collections. Council members sought clarity about staffing and the current backlog; staff said the in-house billing operation had seen turnover and was behind by two to three months, and that Emergicon offered to begin on-site onboarding immediately if council approved.

Supporters argued the move would reduce liability, lower local staffing needs by one position, and modernize billing software. Opponents raised concerns about outsourcing a municipal function driven by insurance reimbursements and urged more time to review the proposal. After discussion, the council approved the contract and fee changes 5-2.

Votes at a glance: 5 in favor, 2 opposed; item approved.

The council directed staff to finalize a professional services agreement with Emergicon and to implement the adjusted fee schedule and resident-write-off policy as described. The resolution and agreement were authorized by the council vote; staff will return with implementation details and onboarding timelines.