Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ems Ambulance Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves rate adjustments and continued subsidy for private ambulance partners Bell and Curtis
Summary
The committee approved continuing agreements with private ambulance providers Bell and Curtis and endorsed agreed rate adjustments to preserve basic life‑support transport capacity in Milwaukee.
Chief Aaron Lipsky of the Milwaukee Fire Department told the committee the resolutions for file 241361 authorize ongoing private ambulance service agreements with Bell and Curtis and the associated rate adjustments that will apply during the 2025 budget cycle.
Lipsky said the package represents agreement on increased rates and subsidies so that private companies can maintain basic life‑support (BLS) transport services used by the city. He described the long‑term funding challenge: federal reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid has not kept pace with costs, and the payer mix in Milwaukee made running 911‑response ambulance service financially difficult for private operators in recent years. "It was an enormous leap of faith on private business owners' parts to continue participating in our system," Lipsky said, thanking the providers for their partnership.
Lipsky and department staff said the agreement includes a roughly 5% increase in the per‑run fee and an estimated 7% increase in runs; both figures were presented as department estimates. Committee members asked follow‑up operational questions, including whether the providers track outcomes tied to a 2024 proximity‑search policy; Wayne Jarecki of Bell Ambulance said operational data could be provided and volunteered to follow up.
Alderman Westmoreland moved adoption and the committee recorded no objections in the transcript; the committee ordered adoption of the measures. The transcript did not include a roll‑call vote tally.
