06-27-16 Health and Public Safety

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OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK KAREEMAH FOWLER, CITY CLERK HEALTH & PUBLIC SAFETY JUNE 27, 2016 5:55 P.M. Committee Members Present: John Voorde, Oliver Davis, Karen L. White, Jo M. Broden Other Council Present: Tim Scott, Dr. David Varner, Regina Williams- Preston Others Present: Alkeyna Aldridge, Joseph Molnar, Kathleen Cekanski- Farrand, Adriana Rodriguez Agenda: Bill No. 30 -16 — Addressing Ambulance /Medical Service Fees Committee Chair John Voorde called the meeting to order with one (1) item on the agenda. Bill No. 30 -16 — Addressing Ambulance/Medical Service Fees Steven Cox, Fire Department Chief with offices at 1222 South Michigan Street South Bend, spoke as the petitioner of this bill. The South Bend Fire Department by municipal code is required to give an annual report recommendation on ambulance user fees. Annually we come back to the Council to explain a handful of items that the Council has requested regarding call volume, what we have billed and collected and a recommendation based on those numbers. There are two (2) pieces to this recommendation. The first is the actual fee increase for this year which is based on the Medicare fee schedule that is released annually in April. Medicare provides reimbursement for individuals that are covered. The Fire Department bases their fee schedule off of the fee schedule that is allowed for reimbursement through Medicare. Annually, Medicare looks at the reasonable customary charges for reimbursement associated with ambulances in each state. Each state has a different fee schedule. In 2002 our department modified our fee schedule and modeled off the Medicare schedule for reimbursement. As we have moved forward, the recommendations we have provided have been in conjunction with those fee schedule changes annually. Typically if you go back and look at the resident rates and proposed resident rates you will see an increase annually for each of those levels of service of about one (1) or two (2) dollars per charge. That is because Medicare increases incrementally in very small numbers annually. The issue with not doing this annually is that we are leaving Federal money on the table. If we are not billing to the level they are raising each year, basically that small increase is lost unless we have it in the fee schedule which the Council is required to set. Each year since 2011 we have been asking for those increases. The 455 County -City Building • 227 W. Jefferson Boulevard • South Bend, Indiana 46601 Phone 574- 235 -9221 • Fax 574- 235 -9173 • TDD 574- 235 -5567 www.SouthBendIN.gov JENNIFER M. COFFMAN ALKEYNA M. ALDRIDGE EMILY SEXTON CHIEF DEPUTY/ CHIEF OF STAFF DEPUTY/ DIRECTOR OF POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERK