Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Medical Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County chief briefs council on anticipated EMS contract increase tied to jail and service costs
Summary
Chief Greg Reitmeyer said the county is reviewing EMS fees using state Medicaid transport benchmarks and expects a substantial increase in the county contribution, partly driven by jail transport costs; staff will continue negotiations with the city while acknowledging limited time for detailed renegotiation this cycle.
Nez Perce County Chief Greg Reitmeyer briefed the joint Lewiston City Council and Nez Perce County Commission on June 17 about an upcoming refresh of the emergency medical services (EMS) agreement and a significant expected increase in county contributions.
Reitmeyer said staff used state Medicaid transport reporting and cost centers as a benchmark to assess the gap between current collections and actual costs. He said the jail previously had been covered by a lump-sum approach and that new data indicate jail-related costs for EMS response will increase from roughly $5,000 to about $16,000–$17,000 annually; combined with other adjustments the overall county increase could total roughly $300,000 or just under that figure.
County commissioners and city officials acknowledged the increase will be substantial and part of the county’s and city’s upcoming budget processes. Reitmeyer said the current contract form is acceptable for the immediate term and that more detailed revisions — including defining geographic response lines among agencies and reimbursement rules for responses from neighboring jurisdictions — will be taken up later when time allows.
No final agreement was adopted at the meeting; county and city staff said they will continue to coordinate on contract language and fiscal impacts.
