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Fire chief: outside consultant expected to unlock ~$250,000 in Medicaid reimbursement
Summary
Lewiston Fire Chief Greg Reichmeier said the city will contract with a consultant to prepare Medicaid (GMT) cost reports for two states; he estimated roughly $250,000 in new revenue after the state plan amendment added Idaho to the program.
Fire Chief Greg Reichmeier explained why the city engages an outside firm to prepare its GMT/Medicaid cost reports and recommended continuing that contract to capture complex reimbursements in two states. Reichmeier likened the work to hiring a tax preparer: the reports are technical, capacity‑intensive and require staying current with state and federal rules.
"It's Medicaid, and so it's a federally mandated program, and there's lots of things that you have to comply with. It's highly technical," Reichmeier said. He added that the city lacks the in‑house accounting and legal capacity to compile compliant cost reports for both Washington and Idaho and to manage frequent audit reviews. Reichmeier estimated rough new annual revenue at about $250,000 after Idaho's recent approval for GMT and the catch‑up period the state required.
Councilors and residents asked how the consultant fee compares to revenue. Reichmeier said the consultant (PCG) is paid as a percentage of recovered revenue and the service also supports audit defense, reducing the risk of having reimbursements clawed back. The council included the consulting arrangement as a budget request tied to anticipated new revenues.
