Delaware County commissioners approve RFP to support county EMS enrollment in Ohio ambulance supplemental payment program

Delaware County commissioners voted to approve a request for proposals to hire a contractor to support Delaware County Emergency Medical Services’ participation in the State of Ohio Ambulance Supplemental Payment Program.

The vote came after Jeff Fischl, identified in the meeting as “Jeff Fischl, Director, bms Delaware county,” described the program to the board and answered commissioners’ questions. “It’s a federal drawdown of Medicaid money,” Fischl said, adding that the county submits cost and Medicaid revenue data to a third party that then files the claim with the state.

The program has been discussed by county staff for several years, Fischl said, and the county issued a letter of support about two years ago. He told commissioners the county currently holds a one-year agreement with a firm called PCG to perform the submission work. “Right now, we have a current one-year agreement with a company called PCG,” Fischl said.

Why it matters: the drawdown routes federal Medicaid funds through the State of Ohio and back to local ambulance providers that participate. Fischl told the board the statewide amount originally projected for participating ambulance services was about $140 million but that estimates have since fallen to approximately $6 million to $8 million. He said that represents roughly 10% of the program’s original projection and that county officials have spoken with state legislators about restoring funding levels.

Details and next steps: commissioners approved the RFP so the county can seek a new contractor to handle the data compilation and submission required by the program. Fischl described the vendor’s role as combining the county’s costs and Medicaid revenue, submitting that data to the state Medicaid office and receiving funds passed back through the state to local ambulance providers. He also said the county has engaged state representatives and senators about the program’s reduced size and that stakeholders hope to increase available funding.

Formal action: the board approved Resolution 25-381 to authorize issuance of the RFP. Commissioners recorded aye votes for Barb Lewis, Gary Merrill and Jeff Benton.

Context and limits: Fischl and other staff emphasized the county’s role is to contract for submission services and that the program’s funding and ultimate amounts are determined at the state and federal level. The commissioners did not authorize any direct program spending beyond issuing the RFP; future contract awards and any resulting revenues would return to the board for separate approval, depending on the proposals received.