EVAC Volusia County

[LoneRider]

Even though I'm presently stationed all the way across the country from my home state I still check my local news on my lunch break and stumbled across this (admittedly dated) article regarding Volusia County, Florida's third party EMS EVAC Ambulance. It states that the contract is being renewed for another two years.

One thing in the article that jumped out at me was the following:

In October, the county approved a projected $1.5 million subsidy to fill the gap between Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements and what EVAC says is the cost of services provided to patients who are dependent on those programs. The subsidy was part of EVAC’s $17.4 million budget.

At Thursday’s meeting, County Manager James Dinneen outlined options for emergency medical transport:

• It can be bid out to a private company.

• It can remain the “hybrid” it is today.

• The cities can provide some services.

• The county can provide all services.

Currently, EVAC has an exclusive contract with the county; fire departments aren’t allowed to transport victims. Over the years, Deltona and Daytona Beach have asked for permission to provide emergency transport, but more recently have backed off that request, Dinneen said. Daytona Beach has postponed a decision for another six months.

I'm just curious as to what opinions of EMS professionals are with regard to these options.

[NYCEMS9115]

Its good for EVAC but bad for Volusia County. Unfortunately, EMS doesn't profit when you deal with Medicaid. Its all about volume when you're talking about Medicaid. A Private Ambulance Company will do it for less and the Elected Officials at Volusia County will see that; when the next budget overview is done. All the best...