Santa Fe committee approves contract to pursue Medicaid ambulance supplemental payments

The Santa Fe Public Works and Utilities Committee on March 2 approved a four-year professional services contract with Public Consulting Group to develop, implement and support the Fire Department's participation in the New Mexico ambulance supplemental payment program and approved a related $199,137 budget amendment to cover fees owed for July–December 2025.

The agreement, described to the committee as totaling $1,800,000 excluding NMGRT and spanning four years, will fund consultant work to identify and consolidate Medicaid reimbursement data and calculate supplemental payment eligibility. The Fire Department’s chief told the committee that the program helped the city recoup funds the department otherwise would not have received and that "we brought in... 5.27 million dollars" for an earlier year through the program. According to the chief, the contract includes a contingency fee structure — "there is a fee that we pay them plus 14%" — that is paid from the funds generated by the program.

Members asked staff to clarify how the contract and fees operate. The chief said the city provides quarterly data to the consultant and to the Health Care Authority, which together help determine the reimbursement amounts; the chief added the program is intended to be self-sustaining and that early payments returned money to the general fund after initial start-up costs. The chief also said the city paid roughly $880,000 in fees in the program's first year and expects about $2.9 million in receivables this year and $3.9 million the following year as the program matures.

The committee approved the professional services contract by voice vote with no recorded opposing votes. The committee then approved a related budget amendment to increase professional contracts by $199,137 to cover fees for the program for July–December 2025; staff said the amendment reflects fees owed for that past period and that future payments are expected to be managed quarterly. That motion also passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

The meeting also included a ceremonial presentation recognizing Amanda Britt, contracts administrator in the Public Utilities Administration Division, as Public Utilities Employee of the Month for February 2026 and a brief acknowledgment that Nancy Jimenez, Billing and Administration Division Director, is retiring in about two weeks after nearly 30 years of service. The committee set its next meeting for March 16, 2026, and adjourned.