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Commission approves higher ambulance transport rates to fund 24-hour staffing and pay increases
Summary
Berkeley County commissioners approved an increase to ambulance transport charges to insurers, a change officials say will help bring billing closer to actual costs, staff a busy station 24 hours and move EMT pay toward market levels while keeping household and nonresidential fees unchanged.
Berkeley County commissioners on June 3 approved a new schedule of ambulance transport rates that county and ambulance authority officials said will increase insurance reimbursements and fund operational needs, including 24-hour staffing at Station 49.
County and ambulance authority officials said the change will not raise the county's household or nonresidential ambulance fees charged on property tax bills. "We are proposing no increase to those," ambulance authority presenter Brandon Catlett said during the meeting.
County and authority leaders said the authority's current transport rates have not been changed since 2016 while costs and call volumes have risen. Catlett told commissioners the ambulance authority's current cost per transport is about $1,137 under the new budget forecast and that the…
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