Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Medical Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
EMS Director says staffing gaps, reimbursements and medical-direction shift pose near-term challenges
Summary
At an Aug. 5 Marquette County Public Safety Committee meeting, EMS Director Rob Lulling reported ongoing staffing shortages, 207 calls in July, $160,000 in upcoming retroactive Medicaid reimbursements, and that Madison Emergency Physicians will stop providing medical direction; county options include contracting privately or with UW.
Rob Lulling, Marquette County’s EMS director, told the Public Safety Committee on Aug. 5 that the county continues to face staffing shortages and operational pressures that could affect ambulance coverage.
Lulling said EMS logged 207 calls in July and reported two retroactive Medicaid reimbursement payments expected to arrive soon: $94,000 from 2023 expected next month and $66,000 from 2024 expected in November. He said 2025 reimbursement data will be submitted in 2026 for the current year’s claims. Lulling also reported the service recorded its fourth cardiac save this year.
Lulling told the committee Madison Emergency Physicians will no longer provide medical direction to the county. He said the county is evaluating two options: contracting privately with Dr. Barr or contracting with the University of Wisconsin; he stated neither option would increase the EMS budget. Lulling said the EMS budget will be presented to the committee in September.
Several citizens raised the county’s ambulance coverage shortage and concerns about paramedic pay and benefits during the public-comment period; named speakers on those points included Bryan Claesges, Tim Houslet, Chris Klaopetke and Mike Bourdeau. The committee did not take formal action on staffing during the meeting.
Lulling reported that staffing problems have persisted since December 2024: the department had two open paramedic positions at the time of the meeting and expected one paramedic to go on FMLA soon; he said an urgent open position needs to be filled by Aug. 30. The committee did not vote on emergency staffing measures at the Aug. 5 meeting.
