COLUMBIANA Officials hope they can fund EMS payroll

Unpaid bills for EMS have left the payroll in question.
COLUMBIANA -- While Columbiana Emergency Medical Services personnel are waiting to see if voters will approve a levy Nov. 4, there is a concern there might not be enough money to meet the EMS payroll that week.
The levy is for operations and improvements of the EMS, but there wouldn't be revenue from the levy available until spring.
City Finance Director Mary Louise Dicken said the city might have to borrow from its electric fund to meet the payroll, but there isn't much money available there, either.
Outstanding bills
Payroll is $6,600, she said. The reason for the shortfall is outstanding bills for EMS, mostly ones that haven't been paid by Medicare yet, she said. When Medicare does pay, it will cover only about half the bills, she said.
Meanwhile there is about $1,500 per day available for expenses such as oxygen and drugs, she said.
The levy on the Nov. 4 ballot is for 15 cents per day, EMS personnel have said. That's what the owner of a $100,000 home will pay if the city voters approve the 1.5-mill additional levy for EMS.
Tom Farley, city EMS chief, said the levy will generate about $150,000 per year. The money will be used for a capital improvement fund, to pay part-time EMTs and medics to cover weekend shifts and to supplement fees not covered by Medicare.
Farley said Medicare continues to reduce the amount that it will pay for emergency services, and within two years Medicare will require that the provider, in this case Columbiana EMS, accept as payment for its services only what Medicare pays. The rest is just a loss to the provider, so without revenue from somewhere, the EMS cannot afford to do that, Farley said.
Consequently, without the levy, the Columbiana EMS would be unable to continue to operate, Farley explained.
If the Columbiana EMS disbands, the services will be picked up by private ambulance services in Salem and the surrounding areas. That will increase response time from about 4.9 minutes to at least 12 minutes, he said.