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Commissioners question EMS billing, recovery estimates and medic 6 deployment
Summary
County staff told commissioners an EMS billing specialist could increase revenue recovery over time but likely would not pay for itself in year one; staff also reported medic 6 is now staffed full-time after a recruit graduation and stationing decisions for Station 6 remain under discussion.
Commissioners pressed Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical leaders on how a proposed EMS administrative/billing position would affect revenue recovery and on recent ambulance coverage changes.
John Darling said the county can bill for an ‘‘ALS treatment, no transport’’ option and that billing opportunities can expand if the state authorizes MIH billing. “We do have the ability to bill for an ALS treatment, no transport option right now,” he said, while noting many payers do not reimburse those nontransport treatments reliably.
Darling estimated training for a new billing specialist would take roughly a year and that by the end of that first year the position might begin to offset its costs. He offered a numeric estimate that a roughly 1.1% increase in revenue recovery would cover the position’s cost and suggested there could be an additional 5–10% upside relative to industry benchmarks, but commissioners cautioned historical experience with collections has been uneven.
On ambulance deployment, staff reported medic 6 moved from intermittent staffing to full-time service after a May recruit graduation and that the new unit has reduced critical availability strains across county response areas. Commissioners raised the possibility of staging medic daytime coverage closer to rural Lecompton for certain hours to improve rural response times; staff said logistical constraints (sleeping quarters and staffing) and temporary stationing at Station 5 are current considerations and that battalion chiefs can relocate units by day as needed.
No formal motions or votes were recorded during the session; staff said governance agreement edits with the City of Lawrence are in progress and budget deliberations will determine final funding and staffing outcomes.
