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Madison County EMS reports Medicaid shortfall per call and expects a prior‑year reimbursement
Summary
County EMS reported operational cost-per-call estimates of about $1,300–$1,400 and said Medicaid/Medicare reimburses roughly $147 per call; staff expect a lump reimbursement after July 1 of roughly $109,000 for prior-year runs and noted ongoing grant efforts to close the gap.
An EMS representative reported to the board on May 25 that the county continues to operate with a significant per‑call shortfall for ambulance services but expects reimbursement under a new Medicaid drawdown process.
The presenter said recent data collection shows an operational cost of roughly $1,300 to $1,400 per ambulance call while Medicare/Medicaid payments average about $147 per call. “They said it costs this much money to run a single ambulance call… They deemed that since we're in this program now, this is what we're short,” the presenter said. The presenter said the county historically has been 'short' by about $1,200 per call last year and that this year the shortfall rose to around $1,300.
The EMS representative described a reimbursement mechanism tied to a federal drawdown: the county pays a required local share (about one‑third) during the year and then receives a lump federal/state payment after July 1 covering prior fiscal-year runs. The presenter projected the first payment would be received after July 1 and estimated it could be about $109,000 based on last year’s runs; staff cautioned the exact date is controlled by state/federal processes and was not provided.
The board discussed grant efforts, including a $5,000 award from the Schilberg EF and Sylvia Foundation toward a power‑load system, and ongoing applications to other grant programs to cover remaining capital needs (the presenter said the power‑load system goal is approximately $63,000).
