EMS director outlines rates and staffing needs as commissioners press for collection and overtime data

EMS Director Halsey presented the commission with a detailed breakdown of ambulance billing rates and comparative rates from neighboring counties, and described operational staffing pressures tied to overtime.

Halsey explained charge categories and provided a flat‑fee example for treat‑no‑transport calls: “So we would bill a flat charge of a $110 plus whatever the cost of the drugs were,” she said. She told commissioners the service’s revenue is largely driven by Medicare reimbursements and that some local neighboring county services are hospital‑based and therefore have higher fee schedules.

Commissioners pressed for a breakdown of the last three months of billings by payer (Medicare vs private insurance), collections vs billed amounts, number of transfers and man‑hours used for transfers, and historic collection rates from the billing contractor. The director agreed to supply the requested data so the commission can weigh whether to fund an additional full‑time position or adjust schedules to reduce overtime costs.

The EMS budget and staffing items were scheduled for follow‑up at the work session and upcoming budget hearings; commissioners emphasized the need to avoid year‑end deficits and asked staff to prepare several schedule scenarios (24/48, 48/96) and projected overtime reductions associated with each option.