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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979 10-17 Uncollectible paramedic bills draw fire from Anderson REVIEW 1 EOSt Av Minnesota `" 't•- Pa ul , Mn. WED., OCT. 17, 1979 Uncollectibleparamedic bills draw fire from Anderson By MELANIE WAAGE to Maplewood for billing. CHARGES NOT paid 30 days after the According to the city finance director, third billing are filed in conciliation court. Cancelling$4,921 worth of uncollectible Dan Faust, these billings of paramedic Approximately 50 percent of the charges paramedic bills may not he good charges by hospitals caused many filed in court are paid. business, but the Maplewood council problems and were discontinued in May All collection attempts are discontinued found it was necessary last month. The 1978. . on paramedic bills unpaid after court finance department had managed to ALL PARAMEDIC charges are now action. These are what come before the collect$25,879 of bills throughout the year, billed by city staff using a computerized council for cancellation. but the remaining portion was deemed billing system. Paramedic charges are Faust said the finance department has uncollectible. billed three times, 30 days apart. The found discontinuance of hospital billing COUNCILMAN NORM Anderson second billing includes a notice that ad- arrangements has contributed toward an brought up the cancellation process at the vice should be sought to find out if the bill improved collection rate. Oct.4'council meeting because he thought is covered by medicare, welfare In 1976, 81 percent of paramedic bills maybe they were giving up too easily.' assistance, workers compensation or were collected, and 19 percent were The paramedic bills relate to incidents health insurance. written off as losses. In 1977, 71 percent when persons are transported by The third billing includes a final notice were collected and 29 percent had to be Maplewood paramedics to hospitals. which indicates that "unless the amount written off. Finally,in 1978,84 percent of Because of state laws protecting in- due is paid immediately, the account will the total bills were collected, and 15 dividuals, paramedics are not to ask if be referred to the city attorney for percent were written off as uncollectible. persons needing medical assistance are collection."It also says that if payments The total 1978 figure includes $261 in able to pay their bills before transporting of the charges create an undue personal conciliation court filing fees and$4,660.25 them. So, a number of people are tran- hardship, to contact the finance depart- in actual unpaid bills, equaling$4,921.25. sported and, once billed, never pay. ment regarding filing an application One hundred thirty-nine claims were The billing system has been changed requesting cancellation of the charges. filed in conciliation courts and 83 of these recently.In 1976,billing agreements were Council routinely cancels bills because of were collected. However, 31 individuals arranged with several hospitals. The hardship. refused to pay the$3 court filing fee but hospitals would initially bill the charges Last month, councilman Donald did pay their paramedic charge. and then receive a 10 percent service Wiegert asked that the"hardship"part of COUNCILMAN NORM Anderson said charge on all amounts collected. Bills not the notice be stricken from the billing he had reviewed the list of unpaid bills collected after 90 days were then referred since it might only be inviting requests. Continued on page 9 Paramedics . • . From page 1 and was disturbed at some of the names agree with him.He advised the council of there. He said some of them were people laws requiring the paramedics to tran- he knew, people who could afford to pay sport someone if they asked for the their bills, he added. assistance. Otherwise, they could be "I'm just very uncomfortable in charged with a misdemeanor. dropping these bills so easily," Anderson said. "We're not to haul people around ANDERSON SUGGESTED running an town for free. I think that maybe we unpaid bills' list in the newspaper, using should look at the history of these bills and names and amounts.This is legal,since it we might find out some of the runs is public information, but the other themselves weren't necessary council members didn't seem to think it "I hate to jeopardize the paramedic was necessary. program at all,but these runs are costing Council members and staff discussed the city a lot of money." possibly not charging senior citizens for ANDERSON MENTIONED an incident paramedic runs thus avoiding some of the he had witnessed when the paramedics paper work involved with these billings. were called recently. He said the person Many of the names on the list of can- injured called for the paramedics him- celled bills are people not from self. Possibly, that person was well Maplewood and involve mutual aid calls. enough to find a friend to drive him to the Staff said they would review the hospital and not rely on the paramedics. collection process again, but felt that the "It was a case where I don't think the 84 percent collection rate for last year person was so injured he needed was good, and above average compared paramedic assistance,"Anderson added. to other municipalities. But police chief Dick Schaller didn't The paramedic program is non-profit.