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Committee hears report on proposed fire-department lift-assistance fee for staffed-care facilities
Summary
Administrators presented a report proposing a lift-assistance fee to be charged to staffed care facilities for nonmedical lift calls, citing an aim to reduce repeat calls and recover costs; council members asked for a fuller presentation from fire administration before proceeding.
The Budget and Finance Committee heard a city manager report April 27 outlining a possible lift-assistance fee the fire department would charge staffed care facilities for nonmedical lift/assist calls (situations where a resident has fallen, requires no transport and no other medical intervention).
Dr. Dudes said the fire department has administrative billing infrastructure in place and that the proposed fee would not be intended as a general revenue source but to reduce repeat calls and provide some cost recovery. The report included an example ordinance from Youngstown, Ohio as a potential model.
Council member Scottie Johnson asked for clarification on whether the proposal targets nursing homes or staffed-care facilities and whether the facility or patient would be charged; Dr. Dudes replied the identified facility would be charged. Council member Mark Jeffries said he was uncertain whether the projected revenue would justify the administrative effort and asked that fire administration present more detailed data before the council moves forward. "I don't know if the juice is worth the squeeze," Jeffries said. The chair agreed to schedule a presentation to answer outstanding questions.
Next steps: the committee placed the item on file for passage and requested a more detailed presentation from fire administration about expected revenue, identified repeat callers and operational impacts.
