1/21/1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Compliance with the Medicare rules now being enforced can be achieved by amending the current policy of sending a letter to the patient advising them of the unpaid balance of the charges. Rather than sending a notice, the proposed process will include sending an actual stateme` of charges. Then a follow-up phone call will occur if the bil deductible, or co -payment is not received by Treasure Coast Collections. No citizen will be harrassed in any form in the proposed new process and if the balance is not paid by the patient after the above actions are taken, the bill will be written off. This process would be followed in all cases when treatment or transport is provided to a patient whether they have insurance coverage or not. Treasure Coast Collections has informed staff that if the new procedures are followed, an additional position would be needed to accomplish the added billing functions. Currently, Treasure Coast Collections compensation for providing the billing service is the greater of 7% of collections or $2,000.00 per month. During negotations with the collections agency recently as authorized by the County Administrator, staff now recommends that Article #15 of the existing contract as related to compensation be amended to state "TCC's compensation for billing services provided shall be the greater of 10% of collections per month or $2,000.00 per month." This compensation level is acceptable to the collections agency, although a greater percentage was desirable. The billing service is proving to be successful since in excess of 60% of billings are collected. If approved, the additional compensation for the agency would come from actual collections and no tax revenue will be utilized. Since assuming responsibility for the EMS ALS service in February, 1989, the county has not increased the fee schedule for the service. The same fee schedule has been followed for transport, equipment, and expendable supplies. For comparison purposes, staff has reviewed base fee rate information for EMS ALS service from seventeen (17) other Florida counties and recommends the charges be amended or changed as proposed below. Of the fifty-six (56) proposed charges listed for comparison and consideration, there are fine (5) price increases; twenty-nine (29) pr%e decreases; three (3) new prices being established; and ninteen (19) have no increase or decrease. SERVICE FEES CURRENT PROPOSED CHANGE ALS rate (Medicare allows BLS $224.65) 165.00 220.00 55.00 rate (Medicare allows Standby coverage hour $141.35) 100.00 140.00 40.00 per (min 2 hours) 50.00 50.00 -0- MILEAGE FEES CURRENT PROPOSED CHANGE Per mile charge (Medicare allows $5.20) 5.00 5.00 -0- I.V. AND MEDICATION FEES Activated Charcoal CURRENT PROPOSED CHANGE Adenocard 6 mg Aminopylline 500 mg 8.00 24.50 5.00 8.50 (3.00) (16.00)3.80 Atropine 1 mg 3.80 -p- Benadryl 50 mg 16.65 3.25 6.65 (10.00) Bretylol 500 mg Calcium Chloride 10%, 1 42. 50 3.25 10.50 -p- (32.00) gm Decadron 20 mg 17.5 0 5.00 (12.6 2.6 0) Dextrose 50% - 25 gm Epinephrine 1:1,000 1 mg 3.50 23.00 3.50 5.00 (18.00) Epinephrine 1:10,000 1 mg 1.50 18.00 3.50 3.00 2.00 Inderal 1 mg Intropin 200 mg 3.80 5.00 (15.00) 1.20 Ipecac, Syrup of 14.00 5.00 9.0 (9.0 0) Isuprel 1 mg 2.80 2.80 Lasix 100 mg 4.50 4.50 -0- 2.50 5.00 2.50 29 BOOK. JAN 1 199