Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ambulance Billing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Marshfield committee recommends write-off of ambulance accounts, cites rising bad-debt trend
Summary
The Finance, Budget and Personnel Committee recommended council approval of Resolution 202603 to write off certain ambulance accounts after staff reported rising annual write-offs and explained contributing categories including timely-filing denials and statute-of-limitations cases.
Jordan Munger, the city's accounting manager, told the Finance, Budget and Personnel Committee on Feb. 17 that the city had about 2,800 ambulance runs in 2025 and roughly $3.2 million in charges before contractual adjustments.
Munger presented Resolution 202603, the annual request to write off accounts deemed uncollectible. He said the city's write-offs have risen in recent years, listing approximately $15,000 in 2021; $65,000 in 2022; $102,000 in 2023; $171,000 in 2024; and $255,000.81 for 2025 as shown in the memorandum. "On a yearly basis, I estimate that to be anywhere between 200 to $300,000," Munger told the committee, describing the write-off estimate as tied to accounts that have reached the six-year statute-of-limitations window.
Munger described common categories behind write-offs: patients who are deceased, bankrupt, unreachable, or uninsured; timely-filing denials when billing is submitted after a carrier's allowable window; medical-assistance or uncompensated-care discounts for eligible residents; and accounts "out of statutory" when collection would be barred by time limits. He said some accounts are turned over to a local collection agency or entered into state programs with limited success.
A committee member asked for clarification of line-item categories on the 2025 write-off exhibit; Munger offered explanations for "timely filing" and medical-assistance discounts, and said he would follow up with billing/collections staff on two miscellaneous categories listed as "client requested close" and "admin error." "I'll have to ask about them," he said.
After discussion, the committee moved, seconded and approved the recommendation to forward the resolution to council.
Next steps: The committee approved the recommendation; final write-off authorization rests with the Common Council under the posted resolution number.
