Ambulance, Inc.
The decision to persue a paid daytime staff required revenue to offset the payroll costs. The only source available to the fire department was tax dollars. This was not the direction the officers felt would be agreeable to the municipalities involved. The only remaining alternative was to begin billing for ambulance services as other ambulance agencies in Ontario County do.
The officers began meeting with billing agencies and the department attorney to proceed. Since fire departments cannot legally bill for services, a seperate ambulance corporation would be needed. Thus, the formation of Phelps Ambulance, Inc. was completed in May 2004.
For more information regarding the legalities of this process, how municipalities can contract for ambulance services, and how ambulance billing is influenced by municipal contracts, select the link to a live lecture by attorney Bradley Pinsky of Scicchitano, Frateschi & Pinsky. This lecture explains in detail the process a fire department must follow to begin billing for EMS services.
How Fire Departments can bill for EMS services ?
The billing process will preceed the hiring of daytime staff by approximately 2-3 months as startup money will be needed to hire personnel. The plan is to hire two EMT's for daytime staffing. This will permit the immediate response of the ambulance without having to wait for a volunteer driver to respond.
The officers and members of the department thought long and hard before deciding to persue this option. The decision to bill and hire staff was inevitable. In the long run, the community will be better served by the combined career / volunteer staff of Phelps Ambulance, Inc
Ambulance, Inc.
PO Box 81
Phelps, NY 14532