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Ellis County health department billing changes and vaccine costs noted as key budget variables
Summary
County administrators told commissioners that the health department recently moved vaccine ordering in-house and is implementing a new electronic health-record billing system; administrators cited roughly $275,000 in vaccine expenses and about $335,000 in associated revenue, and said increased sales tax support has risen from roughly $207,000 to $439,000.
County Administrator Darren Myers told the commission that the health department has begun using an in-house process for vaccine ordering and is transitioning to a new electronic health-record system to improve scheduling and billing. He said the change should allow the department to capture Medicare Part D reimbursements and make billing more accurate as staff gain more historical ordering data.
Myers provided concrete budget figures related to vaccines and revenue: "There's, like, roughly $275,000 in expenses for vaccines, but that accounts for about $335,000 in revenue," he said. He added that sales-tax support for the health department has grown in recent years, citing figures rising from about $207,000 per year to approximately $439,000, which reduces the amount that must be funded from property taxes.
Myers cautioned the commission that because the department has limited historical data after moving off the prior vendor (VaxCare), estimates are less certain and staff are still reconciling orders, billing and revenue trends. Commissioners agreed the department should continue implementing the new systems and revisit fee schedules and revenue projections as more data become available.
No separate action was taken at the Aug. 4 meeting; Myers said staff are continuing work and will provide updates as billing history and vaccine accounting stabilize.
