EVERETT — The Everett Fire Department is considering a change in how it uses private ambulance companies to ferry patients to hospitals.
Nearly every patient in a life-threatening situation, such as a heart attack, gets transported by the paramedics who work for the fire department. People in less serious situations though — say someone with nausea, or a broken arm — are more often taken by private ambulance companies.
That latter category amounts to about 6,600 ambulance rides in the city every year. In those cases, the fire department relies on a rotation of four different ambulance companies to respond.
A new proposal before the Everett City Council suggests signing a contract with just one ambulance company. City leaders say the switch could provide a faster, more reliable service.
Initially, they planned to make a decision in early 2016.
That’s now been put on hold while they consider the options, city spokeswoman Meghan Pembroke said.
Tim Key, the fire department’s chief of emergency medical services, briefed the council in December.
As part of contract negotiations, the ambulance companies will have to disclose the rates that patients will be charged, he told the council.
“Right now, that’s market-driven,” Key said. “We have no control or say in what they charge, but that will be a function of the (future contract).”
At the meeting, former Councilman Ron Gipson noted that someone in his family was charged about $1,200 for an ambulance ride.
The discussion over ambulances comes as the city considers a number of changes to fire department operations. A recent study commissioned by the city suggested closing fire stations.
Paul Gagnon, the president of the firefighters union, Local 46, has made clear that he doesn’t support that plan.
Gagnon says the logic for the ambulance contract is “sound,” but firefighters would prefer adding staffing and rigs so they could handle more transports themselves, he said.
“In the long run we really think they should just staff aid cars,” he said.
At the council meeting, Key said that an ambulance contract would help the city ensure that private rigs are available sooner, and give medics more oversight for the care provided.
Everett relies more on private ambulances than do other local fire departments, said Kurt Mills, the executive director of SNOPAC, the 911 center based in Everett.
The dispatchers for Everett are making the phone calls for ambulances while juggling 911 calls, Mills said.
“They use a rotation process. That doesn’t guarantee a unit will be available,” Mills said. “In many cases we’re making multiple calls. I’m excited and pleased that Everett is looking at a more automated solution.”
Right now, the Everett department has three of its own ambulances. Those rigs are staffed around-the-clock with two paramedics each, Key said.
The fire department can’t transport everyone itself without adding staff, and the revenue from the bills doesn’t always cover the costs, Key said. That’s partly because the majority of ambulance rides are for people on Medicare or Medicaid, federal programs that set limits on what can be billed.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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