Summit Co, Colorado - Base rates for ambulance rides could increase 46 percent.

[Guest guest]

Summit Daily News - Base rates for ambulance rides could increase 46 percent

News

- Local

- The Wire

----- National

----- World

Sports

- Local

- Fishing

- Stream Flow

Opinion

- Columns

- Letters

- Editorial

Summit Up

About Us

- Contact list

- Write us

Classifieds

Restaurant Guide

A & E

Archive

Advertise

Vail Daily

Post- Independent

Aspen Times

* Base rates for ambulance rides could increase 46 percent

Jane Stebbins

FRISCO - Patients - or their insurance companies - will have to pay

substantially more for a ride in an ambulance, if county commissioners approve

the base rate and per-mile hikes requested by ambulance officials.

According to Summit County Ambulance Director Caffrey, rates haven't

changed since 1999. Monday he proposed to increase the base rate from $600 to

$875 - a 46 percent increase - and per-mile rate increase from $12.50 to $15,

which represents a 20 percent hike.

Fortunately, about 75 percent of those costs are picked up by insurance

companies, Caffrey said. Unfortunately, even with the proposed increase, the

ambulance service will be hard pressed to make its budget. He said the increases

are needed due to increasing personnel and overhead costs.

Summit County operates three ambulances on a 24-hour basis, one on a

12-hour, seasonal basis, and another on weekends. On average, ambulances make it

to their destination in 10.2 minutes - two minutes more than the standard

required in suburban areas. About 80 percent of the calls are made within 16

minutes, Caffrey said, and 90 percent are made within 19 minutes.

Costs have increased over the years as the ambulance service added more

full-time employees. Fifteen people rotate in 24-hour shifts, five are seasonal

or weekend workers, three are in management, two work in finance and billing and

20 are EMTs. Of 20 volunteers, 14 are paramedics, he said.

The ambulance service responded to 3,744 calls in 2000. Caffrey expects

that to dip to 3,700 this year and next.

The average cost per call is $844, Caffrey said, which is comparable to

other emergency medical services in the area, many of which offset some of their

expenses with tax revenue in addition to fees charged to customers. The

ambulance in Woodland Park even operates as a non-profit organization and must

charge a $885 base rate to meet its budget.

The cost to carry a patient from a facility in Summit County to another -

typically in Denver, Boulder or Vail - is proposed to increase from $778 in 2000

to $1,117.

" While high, our fees are very similar to fees currently charged by

services in , Boulder, Clear Creek and Teller counties, " Caffrey said.

" They're also fairly consistent with nationwide inflation in health care costs,

which average about 10 percent a year. "

Return To News Main Page

*