Ambulance will begin charging for lift assists

MARENGO — Iowa County Emergency Medical Services will begin charging for lift assists to recoup some of the cost of making the trip and helping people in their homes.

Ambulance Director Adam Rabe asked the Iowa Board of Supervisors Friday to allow EMS to charge $125 when an ambulance is called to a home to help a resident up. That’s the same amount the ambulance charges when it treats a patient but doesn’t transported the patient anywhere.

“We evaluate them to make sure they weren’t injured [after a fall],” said Rabe, and patients usually don’t need to go to a hospital.

But Emergency Services has time invested in the lift calls, said Rabe. It uses special equipment which it has had to purchase, and personnel has to drive the ambulance to and from the site of the call.

All of that costs money that EMS doesn’t collect.

Insurance won’t pay for ambulance calls unless the ambulance transports patients. Ambulance service is considered transportation, not a medical service, Rabe said.

Sometimes people want to stay in their own homes, and they use emergency services as home health care because they don’t have to pay for it, Rabe said. People will usually call police first, but police will request EMS if the situation warrants equipment that police don’t have.

The ambulance has eight to 10 such calls a month, said Rabe. “If they don’t call us, they’re going to pay someone [else] for the service.”

Supervisor Jonathan Degen said people are going to push back and ask what they pay taxes for if not for the service.

“Taxes don’t pay for all of it,” said Supervisor Chairman Kevin Heitshusen. That’s why insurance companies are billed for service.

Tax dollars make ambulance service available, said Rabe. It doesn’t cover the cost of individual calls.

Most of the patients who call are on Medicare, which will pay if patients are transported, said Rabe, but not if EMTs treat patients in the home and don’t drive them elsewhere.

“It’s a sensitive issue,” said Rabe, but the billing company told him that about half of ambulance companies charge for lift assists.

Degen said he doesn’t want to discourage people from calling for an ambulance.

“I don’t think $125 is out of line,” Rabe said.

Supervisors approved the request unanimously.

Supervisors also approved a request from Rabe to terminate the HIPAA service agreement with Compliancy Group and contract with Iowa State Association of Counties, if the contract receives the approval of the county attorney.

Compliancy charges the county $6,600 a year for the service. ISAC will charge only $1,950.