City Investigates Outsourcing EMS Billing Service

Less than three years after making a $131,000 investment in software for the billing, collecting and reporting of emergency medical services, the City of St. Charles is questioning their current system's efficiency and effectiveness.

On Tuesday night, the St. Charles City Council approved Fire Chief Rick Daly's request to look into outsourcing those services by issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP).

In a June 10 memo, Daly reported that an audit "identified deficiencies related to efficiency and compliance with Medicare/Medicaid billing guidelines." In order to address that immediately, the department brought in a consultant to educate staff and examine procedures.

The billing department saw a 100 percent employee turnover since the new software was adopted, resulting in a continuing need for training.

Daly gave a list of pros and cons for outsourcing billing and collections that included an increase in collections, being able to keep up better with changes to the coding system and freeing up current staff to perform other duties.

Among the cons, Daly said that the city would have limited access to the vendor's system in order to create reports and audits and little control over customer service.