Revenue Recovery is the process of obtaining financial reimbursement for the cost of providing medically necessary emergency ambulance transportation. Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance policies already allow for reimbursement for this service.
When citizens call 911, ambulances are dispatched immediately. Patients will be treated and, if necessary, transported to a hospital emergency department. At the hospital, patients will be asked to sign a Patient Care Report for billing purposes. If the patient is unable to sign at the time of transport, a claim form will be forwarded to their insurance provider on his or her behalf. A follow-up signature letter will be sent to the patient.
Prince George County is joining a growing number of localities that seek reimbursement from insurance providers for the cost of medically necessary emergency ambulance transportation. Most insurance policies provide this coverage, which patients already pay for with their premiums. Revenue Recovery will allow Prince George County to submit claims directly to insurance providers for emergency ambulance transportation, similar to how doctors and other health-care providers submit their claim forms.
What is the cost of emergency ambulance transportation, and how is it paid?
Citizens in need of emergency ambulance transportation will be charged according to the type of service received and the distance of transport to the hospital, beginning with a base charge of $350. The charge for emergency ambulance transportation will be billed to the patient's insurance provider, Medicare or Medicaid.
Patients without health-care coverage will be billed directly. If an ambulance responds, but the patient is not transported, there will be no charge.
All patients will be treated and transported, regardless of their ability to pay. No one should ever be afraid to call 911 because of concern about the billing process. There's plenty of time to take care of that after we've taken care of your medical emergency!
For citizens who demonstrate financial hardship, an ability-to-pay scale will be used. This scale is comparable to methods used by other county departments to determine ability to pay on an individual basis. Citizens also will be able to subscribe to EMS*AID, a yearly subscription program designed to help citizens pay out-of-pocket expenses resulting from emergency ambulance transportation.