At the meeting on Friday Debbie from Medics Ambulance made a very nice speech about our wheelchair service. They would like to change the contract that AMR has worked by for many years. Debbie led us to believe that very few people would be effected by stoping this service. Wheelchair service is the most expensive part of the service that Medics supplies under our contract. If we stop this service and allow Medics to continue receiving payment, this would be a windfall for them. I contacted AMR ambulance, They are the largest ambulance company in the country. According to AMR the real numbers for the previous year that they provided the service was 2,284 non-medical wheelchair trips, and 586 non-medical stretcher van trips. This is what our contract pays for. They do not deserve the to be paid without this coverage. If they want more money lets cancel them. I do have a message from AMR, they say " It seems that her presentation was very self serving. Hopefully, not all the Board members were duped.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
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8 comments:
I do not agree
The wheelchair pick-up will continue, however some of our residents use of the CABULANCE portion of their service has placed us at risk. Namely they will transport patients who need transfer from Nursing/Rehab care to Doctors or hospitals. Once the patient has been released the only continuing operation will be wheelchair service. You must need to use a wheelchair and supply the wheelchair so Medics may pick you up. Those able bodied, not limited to only wheelchair transport, calling for cabulance service will cause our continuing contract to increase (for the very few using this service) by nearly 100%.
Palm Tran will do such pick-up for $ 3.00 each way and permit one additional person to accompany.
UCO has the handout given by Medics and it states the above conditions, clearly. Go to the UCO office for your copy. Incidentally AMR while still servicing this Village made some comments along the very same lines and spoke of an increase, if those misusing this service, continued.
Ed
To Ed
My post did not mention cabulance. It sounded to me that Medics wanted to increase the charge for wheelchair service, or discontinue it.If they continue wheelchair without an increase I have no problem.
Am I understanding you to say that some people are abusing the service? If so, why aren't the abusers billed directly by the service?? Why should the rest of us have to pay for their abuses ??
Abuse occurs when a fully function person, fully recovered and no longer covered for Medical Reimbursement, still persists in using Medics to travel, when NO Medical reimbursement is available.
Consequently, this burden is precisely why both AMR and Medics had a problem with residents for whom medical reimbursement has been discontinued. We must cover this INCREASED care, where no Reimbursement is available.
Palm Tran is truly the answer. We are not an ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY!
Ed
What law says "we must cover this increased care"? AND WHO IS WE ?
My understanding of ambulance service is to take someone to the hospital when they are too sick to get there by themselves. You don't call an ambulance to take you to the doctor or rehab. Those people should be made to pay directly or they should not get their ride. As one of the other comments said, we are not an assisted living facility. These people should use the service for $3. It is door to door
Medics basis service includes transport of medical necessity between home & hospital, hospital & Rehab unit, rehab unit & Doctor and the return....all based on medical coverages so they may collect.
Abuses occur once patient is discharged and persists on using for additional trips NOT covered by their Insurances.
We would only be responsible if we permit the Medics Company to increase the contract costs so they may recover payment for these UNINSURED medical trips.
Th Budget meeting of 9-17-08 and October Delegate Asseembly will explain this further, however, provided Medics evaluates each caller to qualify that medical reimbursement will cover the trip, we will see no such increase, since they would be able to request payment directly from the person wanting service without Insurance coverage or to just decline the transport.!
Please remember wheelchair transport is a medical necessity, again, based on insurance coverages of the patient.
Ed
Per last para. Sounds as if Medics is not doing their job. How many unreimbursed trips are people allowed. What collection efforts are made.
Medics has a website showing their wide experience. http://www.medicsambulance.com/index.html
We have a contract, why doesn’t Medics enforce it, they know how. They have plenty forms for evaluation and denial.
Is there a UCO cmte that is up on the details of the contract and issues?
In the first post it talks about non-medical trips, I assume that means patients requiring no medical attention during transport. The service in general is for medical reasons.
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