Douglas County previews higher ambulance fees; staff project $3.5 million–$4.0 million in 2026 revenue

At a June meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Douglas County, staff and Lawrence‑Douglas County Fire Medical (LDCFM) officials previewed changes to ambulance service and standby fees and presented revenue projections for 2026 that range from about $3.5 million to $4.0 million depending on collection rates.

The presentation, given by John Darling, LDCFM chief of emergency medical services, and summarized by County Administrator Sarah Plenske, described three main changes: raising emergency transport fees (basic life support and advanced life support) roughly 28%; increasing mileage to the market average; and adding or formalizing charges for specialty care transports and certain “treatment no‑transport” responses. Standby fees for events will also be raised to better reflect the full cost of staffing and equipment, officials said.

The county has updated its ambulance code to allow the county administrator and city manager jointly to set the fee schedule. Darling said the fee changes, combined with higher standby charges and the planned transition of nonemergency interfacility transfers to third‑party providers, lead to the headline projection: “the headline number is that at a 67% collection rate … we’re…