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Home My WebLink AboutAmending Chapeter 9 Ambuance Medical User Fee & Dedicated Fund 4. ORDINANCE No. 8269-92 Passed by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana_ May 26, 92 r9 Attest: l - City Clerk IRENE K. GAMMON Attest: President of Common Council Presented by me to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana— May 27, 92 19 - o City Clerk IRENE K. GAMMON Approved and signed by me a 6( 19 90\ (7(474A_ Mayor ti ORDINANCE NO. 9-9 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 9, ARTICLE 3 OF THE SOUTH BEND MUNICIPAL CODE, ENTITLED AMBULANCE/MEDICAL USER FEE AND DEDICATED FUND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND INTENT By Ordinance No. 6483-78, 6897-81, 7414-84, 7578-85 and 8009-89, the South Bend Common Council has established fees which will offset, in part, the expense to the City of providing ambulance and paramedic services to the citizens of South Bend, and the cost of repairs to and/or purchase of necessary ambulance/Paramedic equipment, other Fire Department equipment, and to pay for the cost of needed repair and remodeling of existing fire stations, or the building of new fire stations and the creation and continuation of a dedicated fund for the deposit of such fees as received. In conformity with the requirement of an annual review of user fees, the Council finds that adjustment of current fees are required in order to reflect more accurately the cost of providing ambulance and paramedic services. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL, as follows: SECTION I. Chapter 9, Article 3 of the South Bend Municipal Code, entitled Ambulance/Medical User Fee and Dedicated Funds, shall be amended at Section 9-16, to read as follows: Section 9-16. Ambulance/Medical User Fee Established. (a) The following user fee schedule shall be charged for all ambulance/medical services provided by the City through its paramedic branch of the Fire Department. ( 1) Basic Fee $-85 799. . . $150.00 ( 2) Mileage Fee (per patient miles, minimum 1 mile) $--3 799. . . $ 4. 00 f3} Emergeney-Fee-fred-lights and-siren} $-25 796 f4} exygen-Fee $-29 768 +5+ EKG-Meniter $-25 788 ( 3) Advanced Life Support $149 788. . . $250. 00 f7+ Mast $-38 789 +8+ Intttbatien $-25 789 +9+ EPR $-37 759 +19+ Bispesable-Equipment-Replaeement- $--5 798 ( 4 ) Non-resident Fee $ 50. 00 4��-Aa �laa«a-�wk�AA !fir— AA (b) The above fees shall be charged per patient run occurrence; however, when ambulance/medical services are provided for a patient using a private ambulance, the mileage fee shall not be charged; and further provided that when more than two members of an immediate family residing at the same address are transported per incident, the basic fee, mileage fee, and emergency fee shall only be billed for two persons. (c) The above fees shall take effect on September-1;-1989 June 1, 1992. SECTION II. The additional revenues generated by the above rates shall be dedicated to defraying the expenses of the E.M.S. operating budget, a part of the general fund of the City of South Bend; and for capital purchases and leases of E.M.S. equipment, firefighting equipment and fire station repairs. All moneys collected will be deposited in the E.M.S. Capital Fund. Quarterly transfers in the amount of $38,500 will be from the E.M.S. Capital Fund to the General Fund on or about the last day of each quarter of the calendar year. Transfers for 1992 shall not be less than $142,000. SECTION III. This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Common Council and approval by the Mayor and legal publication. Member of t` ie Common Council S yi n®8 only to provide an opportunity for public d_: cus.s1.c and Council action on the inc4 SOUTH-\�\`1, f"I � —#fix / rii ��\\'I///��s i/il v >>:a City of South Bend �� ij.`` ..... 4 - Joseph E. Kernan, Mayor S\ 1865 `.. South Bend Fire Department Luther J. Taylor, Fire Chief May 6, 1992 South Bend Common Council County-City Building South Bend, IN 46601 Dear Council Members: The South Bend Fire Department has been charging fees for ambulance service since 1978. Since that time, the service provided by the Fire Department has developed from standard first aid to the advanced life support system we have in place today. During 1991, the South Bend Fire Department responded to 7, 850 requests for medical services . The total amount billed in 1991 for service was $877, 563. 50, with an average bill of $192. 36. The present rate structure was approved by the Council in September 1989, Ordinance 8009-89, entitled Ambulance/Medical User Fee and Dedicated Fund. A bill has been filed to amend Ordinance 8009-89 with the City Clerk. The amendment will reflect the changes required by Medicare and also reflect an 11% increase in user fees for ambulance service. Recently, Medicare has changed the format for filing for Medicare reimbursements for ambulance service effective January 1, 1992. In the past, Medicare required all providers to submit itemized charges for services provided and the present Ordinance reflects those charges. Under the new format, they have placed those charges under the basic charge and will allow for mileage. All other charges will not be honored by Medicare. 701 W. Sample St. • South Bend, Indiana 46601 • 219/284-9255 Robert X. Quinn III Bert R. Prawat Daniel J. Mirocha Richard D. Switaiski A/C Operations A/C Fire Prevention A/C Services A/C Emergency Medical Services 284-9255 284-9487 284-9255 284-9255 • South Bend Common Council May 6, 1992 Page 2 The Indiana Ambulance Association has filed a suit against Medicare for the amount of reimbursement under the new format . It is the feeling of the Association that the new format is much simpler, however the reimbursement to the provider is less than under the old format. In order to comply with the changes required by Medicare, the following charges for services must be amended: Basic Life Support $150. 00 Advanced Life Support $250. 00 Mileage (per patient miles, minimum 1 mile) $ 4. 00 Non-Resident Fee $ 50. 00 All other charges per Ordinance 8009-89 will be eliminated. We ask that the new rates have an effective date of June 1 , 1992. The increase in user fees will result in the following: Average BLS charge 1991 $132. 78 + $ 17. 22 Proposed charge 150. 00 or 13% Average ALS charge 1991 $228. 98 + $ 21. 02 Proposed charge 250. 00 or 9. 2% Mileage 1991 $ 3. 00 + $ 1. 00 Proposed charge 4. 00 or . 33% I also will provide additional information as to run data, Medicare bulletins and a survey of ambulance rates for Indiana for your review prior to the Council meeting on May 26, 1992. I ask that you look favorably on the amendment as proposed. If you have any questions, please contact A/C Rick Switalski or myself. Sincerely, sum Luther TaylCl1 Fire Chief LT/vm 4 • Motitintrin Irpuft c?ln tI'e Qtonwwn Oloutuil of tip Mtn of Ovally limb: Your Committee of the Whole to whom was referred BILL NO. 38-92 SECOND READING ON A BILL AMENDING CHAPTER 9, ARTICLE 3, OF THE SOUTH BEND MUNICIPAL CODE, ENTITLED AMBULANCE/MEDICAL USER FEE AND DEDICATED FUND. • Respectfully report that they have examined the matter and that in their opinion This bill should be recommended to the Council favorable, as amended. Change was made on the numbering. #06 is now #3. #11 is now #4. Ann Puzzello Chairman