Caution urged on Boardman ambulance plan

By Denise Dick

Under the chief’s plan, the fire department would run its own ambulance service.

BOARDMAN — The general manager of one of the two ambulance companies operating in the township says he hopes officials compare “apples to apples” and evaluate all expenses before making a decision on a fire department-run ambulance service.

Fire Chief James Dorman presented an ambulance feasibility study at a town hall meeting last week. No decisions were made.

Though firefighters respond to all medical calls, they are only permitted to provide basic care. They must await the arrival of an ambulance, and paramedics administer care and transport patients to a hospital.

Two private ambulance companies, Clemente, based in Struthers, and Rural-Metro, based in Youngstown, serve Boardman, operating on 24-hour shifts that rotate between the two companies.

“I just hope that they’re looking at and comparing apples with apples,” said Dave Fiffick, general manager at Clemente, who also is a township resident.

Clemente covers Struthers, Boardman, Poland, Campbell and surrounding areas. Boardman has a large percentage of the company’s business, although it doesn’t comprise the majority of its calls, Fiffick said.

In 2005, 2006 and 2007, private ambulances transported 1,800, 1,772 and 1,817 patients, respectively, to area hospitals from township emergency medical calls, Dorman’s study says.

Also, according to the study, the Howland Fire Department billed 1,600 patients and collected $514,950 in 2008. Liberty transported 950 patients and collected $207,000, and Beaver transported about 400 patients to area hospitals and saw a profit of more than $100,000 .

Howland, however, also transports nonemergency patients, Fiffick said.

Dorman said he’s spoken with Howland and the $514,950 amount includes about $21,000 for non-emergency, with the remaining $493,000 from emergencies.

Eric Wrask, operations manager at Rural-Metro, said he wants to gather more information about the proposal and plans to talk with township officials.

“It’s all new right now,” he said.

Dorman’s proposal, which follows another study completed in early 2008 by the firefighters’ union, calls for hiring a third-party billing company to handle that work. That company would charge a percentage, likely between 7 percent and 7.5 percent, of what’s collected.

The insurance company, Medicare or Medicaid of those served by the proposed township service would be billed. Non-township residents would be billed for the amount not covered by insurance. Township residents would not.

Fiffick declined to disclose the mix of uninsured, Medicare, Medicaid and insured that Clemente has, citing confidentiality.

“The payer mix can change, especially with the economy,” he said.

Dorman said there’s a provision within Ohio Revised Code that provides for that. The code also says that the money generated by the ambulance service would go to support that service, the chief said.

The proposal calls for one ambulance. It would likely only be able to respond to a maximum of 75 percent of all emergency medical service responses.

If the township were able to collect an average of $325 per patient billed, it would generate about $429,650 minus the billing company’s percentage.

Fiffick believes the 75 percent of emergency medical responses is high and Dorman acknowledged that it may be, but he maintains it’s a service that could generate revenue.

The start-up expenses are about $200,000, including an ambulance, basic supplies, heart monitor and drugs.

“I think they need to look at other expenses,” Fiffick said.

He listed, for example, inspection fees for the cardiac monitor that run about $1,000 per year.