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Orange County projects $472,000 EMS revenue increase, aims to boost collections and trim idling
Summary
County budget staff proposed a $472,000 increase in Emergency Medical Services revenue driven largely by a dedicated collections position and higher collection rates; staff also discussed response-time targets, call-volume trends and operational investments.
Orange County budget staff presented a recommended $472,000 increase in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) revenue as part of the proposed FY2025–26 budget, saying most of the increase — $275,000 — is tied to hiring a dedicated collections position.
County staff said the department will move the community crisis EMT position to the general fund, noting that change is expected to be offset by EMS revenue. The recommended budget also includes investments in certification software and workplace-violence prevention and reductions in temporary personnel, overtime and countywide travel and training.
Budget staff told the Board of Commissioners that collection-rate assumptions underlie the revenue projection: collections are expected to improve from about 47% in FY2023–24 to roughly 65% in FY2024–25 and FY2025–26 once the dedicated collections staffing is in place. County staff said Medicare is the largest payer for EMS bills; Medicare collections are projected at about $2.4 million and represent roughly 42% of total EMS collections.
Staff also reviewed operational metrics: call volume has increased modestly (about 1% year over year for overall EMS calls and about 2% for 9‑1‑1 calls), and the county’s average ambulance response time is roughly 11½ minutes overall, with emergent responses averaging about 9½ minutes (the department’s stated emergent-response goal is nine minutes).
County staff said the department is taking steps to reduce vehicle idling to lower wear-and-tear and greenhouse-gas emissions. No formal action was taken during the presentation; the information was part of the budget team’s department-level review ahead of upcoming budget amendment and adoption votes.
