DATE:
April 9, 2024
FP01
TO:
Board of Directors, San Diego County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
ESTABLISHING REVENUE AGREEMENT FOR SERVICES WITHIN THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT GROUND AMBULANCE SERVICE AREA (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
On May 23, 2023 (FP 01), the Board of Directors authorized the San Diego County Fire Protection District's (SDCFPD) Executive Director, or designee, to enter into an agreement with the County of San Diego to exclusively provide and/or manage emergency ambulance transportation services in the areas where the County has, or will have, the responsibility for ambulance transportation services. On September 30, 2023, the SDCFPD Ground Ambulance Service Area (ASA) became operational through a public-private partnership with CAL FIRE and American Medical Response (AMR). The SDCFPD became responsible for billing for ambulance transports and minimizing the financial impact to the County of San Diego.
Within the ASA exists large congregate care facilities with volumes of patients needing emergency and non-emergency ambulance transportation to local hospitals. One of the largest prisons is the California Department of Correction's (CDCR) R.J. Donovan facility in East Otay Mesa. In the first six months the ASA has been operational, there have been an average of 157 monthly ambulance transports from the facility. Penal Code Section 5023.5 provides statutory limits on reimbursements for ambulance transports, which is capped at 120% of the Medicare rate. Without a contract for services, a provider may only be reimbursed for 100% of Medicare. There is currently no such contract in place with the SDCFPD.
Today's request is for the Board of Directors to approve a revenue agreement of up to $3.0 million annually between SDCFPD and Network Providers LLC, an affiliate of Health Net Federal Services, a CDCR-contracted healthcare provider, for ambulance transportation reimbursement. It also includes a reques...
Click here for full text