HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RES 2018-03RESOLUTION NO. 2018-03
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM
DESERT, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL
SERVICES BILLING PROGRAM FEE SCHEDULE AND RELATED
WRITE-OFF POLICY
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Desert ("City") incurs costs related to provision of
emergency medical services to residents who both reside inside and outside City limits;
and
WHEREAS, in an effort to develop cost recovery processes related to such
emergency medical services, the City Council will consider an Emergency Medical
Services Billing Program ("Billing Program") to be initiated on December 15, 2017,
which program will allow the City to bill Medicare and other health insurance providers
for emergency medical services as part of individuals' existing insurance coverage with
no out-of-pocket costs for Cove Communities residents; and
WHEREAS, a Cove Communities resident is defined as an individual who
resides within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Cities of Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage,
and Indian Wells (Cove Communities); and
WHEREAS, The City of Palm Desert shall not bill residents, as defined above,
for any unpaid balance related to emergency medical services; and
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Desert reserves the right to bill and/or collect from a
resident's and non-resident's insurance provider for emergency medical services
rendered.
WHEREAS, as part of the Billing Program, the City must establish a fee schedule
("Fee Schedule") that will establish the fees to be charged Medicare and other health
insurance providers; and
WHEREAS, the Fee Schedule was established based on the reasonable costs of
providing emergency medical services, as determined in the Fee Development Analysis
prepared December, 2017; and
WHEREAS, goal of the City's Billing Program is to only collect from Medicare
and other health insurance providers as a means of achieving partial cost recovery for
the City when billing Cove Communities residents, as the City will collect only what
Medicare or other health insurance providers will pay and the remainder of the bill will
be waived under the write-off policy ("Write -Off Policy") set forth under Section 3 of this
Resolution; and
WHEREAS, patients residing outside of the jurisdictional boundaries of the Cities
of Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells, will receive a balance bill as set forth
under Section 3 of this Resolution; and
RESOLUTION NO. 2018-03
WHEREAS, the Write -Off Policy will also waive the full bill for any individual
without insurance coverage as set forth under Section 3 of this Resolution; and
WHEREAS, on December 14, 2017, the City Council conducted a properly
noticed public hearing to consider approval of the Fee Schedule, at which testimony and
evidence, both written and oral, were presented to and considered by the City Council.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF PALM DESERT HEREBY:
below:
Section 1. Recitals
That the recitals set forth above are true and correct.
Section 2. Approval of the Fee Schedule
That the City Council hereby approves adoption of the Fee Schedule, as set forth
Fee Schedule
Fee Description Fee Amount
Ambulance Transportation $1,450.00
Ambulance Mileage Rate $29.00 per mile
Non -Transport Fee $425.00
Oxygen $132.00
Extra Attendant $155.00
Wait Time — per hour $82.20
First Responder/Pre-Stabilization $400.00
Basic Life Support (BLS) Disposable Supplies $303.75
Advanced Life Support (ALS) Disposable Supplies $382.00
Twelve (12) Lead EKG $285.00
Three (3) Lead EKG $156.48
Section 3. Approval of the Write -Off Policy
That the City Council hereby approves adoption of the Write -Off Policy, as set
forth below:
Patients that reside within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Cities of Palm
Desert, Rancho Mirage, and Indian Wells (Cove Communities) shall not be
balanced billed. The City accepts insurance payments as payments in full. All
patients will receive a maximum of four (4) insurance information request notices,
should insurance not be provided at the time of service. For those patients that
reside outside of the jurisdictional boundaries of the Cities of Palm Desert,
Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells, the City's contracted EMSlambulance billing
company will send one balance bill as required under law. Accounts that have
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RESOLUTION NO. 2018-03
had no activity for 90 days will be deemed uncollectable at that time and will be
written off. Any patient without insurance is deemed eligible for a financial
hardship waiver; the City will write the accounts off. All other billing aspects shall
comply with state and federal law.
Section 4. Severability
That the City Council declares that, should any provision, section, paragraph,
sentence or word of this Resolution be rendered or declared invalid by any final court
action in a court of competent jurisdiction or by reason of any preemptive legislation, the
remaining provisions, sections, paragraphs, sentences or words of this Resolution as
hereby adopted shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 5. Repeal of Conflicting Provisions
That all the provisions heretofore adopted by the City or the City Council that are
in conflict with the provisions of this Resolution are hereby repealed.
Section 6. Effective Date
That this Resolution shall take effect upon its adoption.
Section 7. Certification
That the City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this resolution and
enter it into the book of original resolutions.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Palm
Desert, California, on this 11th day of January 2018, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: HARNIK, KELLY, NESTANDE, WEBER, and JONATHAN
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
ATHAN, MAYOR
ATTEST:
RA ILLLE D. KLASSE CITY CLERK
CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA
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