The Daily Herald recently published an article highlighting an upcoming hike in ambulance fees in Glen Ellyn. This move aims to address the growing expenses associated with emergency medical services while ensuring the village can continue offering top-notch care.
Glen Ellyn is set to increase ambulance charges for non-residents and introduce fees for certain emergency calls that were previously free of charge. During their recent meeting, the village trustees unanimously approved three significant adjustments to the fee structure, effective June 15, 2014. These changes are designed to offset the rising operational costs.
“These fees are crucial in enabling the village to maintain its exceptional emergency medical services,†explained Assistant Village Manager Al Stonitsch. “Although they don’t generate a profit, they do help cover a portion of the expenses.â€
For instance, during the fiscal year 2012-13, the village spent $1,055,372 on providing ambulance services but managed to collect only $744,544 through fees.
The first change approved involves increasing the cost of two types of advanced life-support services for non-residents by $103 and $219, respectively, bringing their rates up from $1,097 and $1,181. However, resident fees and basic life-support charges will stay the same.
A second modification introduces two new fee categories: one for cases where patients are treated but not transported, and another for citizen assistance calls. Currently, the village doesn’t charge for these kinds of incidents, even though they make up around 25% of all ambulance responses annually.
Upon reviewing similar municipalities and fire districts, officials discovered that many already impose charges for these “treat/no transport†situations. Naperville, for example, charges residents $50 and non-residents $100, whereas Hinsdale’s rates are $450 and $650, respectively. Village officials suggested adopting fees of $100 and $150 for “treat/no transport†calls and $50 and $100 for citizen assistance calls.
By introducing these charges for citizen assistance, officials hope to deter unnecessary calls that don’t genuinely require an ambulance. Fire Chief Jim Bodony mentioned that these calls often involve elderly individuals who simply need help getting back into bed after falling.
“We typically receive these calls because someone has fallen and just needs us to assist them back into bed,†Bodony stated.
According to village officials, implementing these fees could discourage senior care facilities from relying on EMS as a substitute for their own staffing needs.
“I’m personally inclined to support higher non-resident rates for senior facilities that essentially use paramedics as a backup service because they prefer not to hire night staff,†remarked Trustee Tim Elliott.
To ease the burden of the citizen assistance fee, especially for low-frequency users, the village proposed a “three-strike†policy where patients wouldn’t be billed unless they received such assistance four times. However, the board ultimately postponed this proposal.
The trustees also approved a third change, incorporating an annual fee escalation clause that will increase by either 2% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower, starting June 2016.
Thanks, Dan!
This follows a prior discussion regarding the funding of the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Department.
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