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Mineral Wells approves $35,000 premium contract with PCG to meet Medicare ambulance data reporting
Summary
Council authorized the city manager to execute the premium package with Public Consulting Group to comply with a CMS ground-ambulance data collection requirement; staff said noncompliance could trigger a 10% Medicare payment reduction and an estimated $53,000 annual loss.
The Mineral Wells City Council authorized the city manager to execute a contract with Public Consulting Group (PCG) for Medicare ground ambulance data collection, approving the premium package the council was presented.
City fire/EMS staff explained the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires ambulance services to report cost, revenue and service data for a multi-year period and that the required data extraction and analytics are labor-intensive. Staff said the city’s billing partner had recommended PCG and that the premium package, priced at $35,000, would do most of the extraction and audit support needed for compliance.
Fire/EMS staff said Medicare comprises roughly 53% of their ambulance revenue and that failing to comply could result in a 10% reduction in Medicare payments; staff estimated that loss at about $53,000 annually. The department presented three vendor packages: a $2,500 standard package (5 hours), a $10,000 mid package (10 hours) and the $35,000 premium package, and recommended the premium package because meeting CMS’s data requirements would otherwise be a full-time administrative burden for a small department.
City Manager Jason Weeks told the council the contract is below the competitive-bid threshold and that existing professional-services budget lines include funds that are not otherwise committed this fiscal year. Council approved the premium package and authorized the city manager to execute the agreement; the vote was recorded as passing 5-0.
Staff said this reporting requirement covered a multi-year collection window and that this is the last quarter of the four-year study for which the city must submit data. The contract and specific vendor package selected are intended to bring the city into compliance and to reduce the risk of reduced Medicare reimbursement.
