Did An Ambulance Company Take Taxpayers For A Ride?

[MMiz]

Did An Ambulance Company Take Taxpayers For A Ride?

It's one of the most profitable private ambulance companies in the state. The privately owned Murfreesboro Ambulance Service is at the center of a federal investigation into Medicare fraud.

The company transports critically ill patients to and from doctor's appointments, but federal investigators said it acted like an overpriced taxi service -- fraudulently billing Medicare more than $430,000.

"Did you get rich ripping off Medicare?" investigative reporter Ben Hall asked the owner of the company.

"I don't know as I ever got rich. We made a good living by working long hard hours, " responded owner Woody Medlock.

Read more!

[rescue99]

Originally Posted by MMiz

Did An Ambulance Company Take Taxpayers For A Ride?

It's one of the most profitable private ambulance companies in the state. The privately owned Murfreesboro Ambulance Service is at the center of a federal investigation into Medicare fraud.

The company transports critically ill patients to and from doctor's appointments, but federal investigators said it acted like an overpriced taxi service -- fraudulently billing Medicare more than $430,000.

"Did you get rich ripping off Medicare?" investigative reporter Ben Hall asked the owner of the company.

"I don't know as I ever got rich. We made a good living by working long hard hours, " responded owner Woody Medlock.

Read more!

Things like this is routine practice among ambulance services as is poor reimbursement practices by insurance companies. I'd love for every EMT-Paramedic to be required to work in billing as a part of the EMS experience. It's a real eye opener.

[atropine]

Ofcourse they took the tax payers for a ride, thats what happens when you let the privates run things, is anyone really surprised here.

[rescue99]

Originally Posted by atropine

Ofcourse they took the tax payers for a ride, thats what happens when you let the privates run things, is anyone really surprised here.

Privates my tush! I live in a community which runs ALS and believe me, we pay twice! First, there i s the 3+ mils we pay annually for EMS / Fire service then the FD has the nerve to charge again!! It's an insurance scam, a public rip off and it needs to be stopped. Even though our primary income source comes from this fire department, I have always been extremely vocal about the FD double dipping scam.

[RyanMidd]

I work for the private industrial EMS sector, and I know that I, as an employee, am fairly compensated.

What other billing goes on, I don't know. I'd rather keep it that way most of the time.

[EMT.Hart]

Originally Posted by RyanMidd

What other billing goes on, I don't know. I'd rather keep it that way most of the time.

...agreed.

[Aidey]

I don't know if that agency was 911 or IFT or both, but this is an example of a horrible catch 22 that ALL types of ambulances are in.

"A recent federal study indicated one fourth of all ambulance transports nationally did not meet Medicare requirements. That amounted to more than $400 million in improper payments."

Duh. We all know that. What the article doesn't say is that the 4th medicare patient you pick up meets you in the entryway, bag in hand, complaining of elbow pain x1 week and REFUSES to consider going to the hospital any other way. They won't take a taxi, call a friend, or wait till the morning and call their bloody GP. They demand you take them, and that is that.

Or the nursing home that calls at 3am for a patient with idopathic "toe pain", and when you show up the RN hands you a PCS form, filled out, and tells you that you are transporting the pt, end of? (not kidding, really happened). The crew spent 10 minutes explaining that "unable to stand due to toe pain" was not a justifiable reason for an ambulance because the patient could be transported via wheelchair van in the morning since toe pain is not an emergency situation. Needless to say, we lost, and the pt was transported. Who is going to be accused of fraud for that? My company or the RN?

So now we have Medicare on one hand saying "you're committing fraud!" and on the other hand we've got our employers, physician sponsors, and EMS councils stating "You can't refuse to transport a patient". What on earth are we supposed to do? Until it is legal for us to refuse to transport someone how can Medicare say "if it doesn't meet requirements, don't transport".

I also have to mention that if all those runs didn't meet requirements, how come Medicare payed? If they can prove that 1/4 of all ambulance transports didn't meet requirements then how come they paid for them? It sounds like Medicare also needs to work on their billing to prevent paying out in the first place.

I know that it is different when the person writing the report is intentionally falsifying what happened in order to make it meet requirements. I'm talking about the people not trying to intentionally defraud Medicare.

[Linuss]

Originally Posted by atropine

Ofcourse they took the tax payers for a ride, thats what happens when you let the privates run things, is anyone really surprised here.

Right, because a service who does 70% EMS and 30% fire, but spends most of their annual budget on fire engines and fire supplies instead of new medical equipment isn't doing a disservice to their community.

[atropine]

Originally Posted by Linuss

Right, because a service who does 70% EMS and 30% fire, but spends most of their annual budget on fire engines and fire supplies instead of new medical equipment isn't doing a disservice to their community.

I agree lucky were not one of those departments, we just updated our whole ambulance feet two years ago and gurneys

[Linuss]

Right, because powered cots have such an impact on pt outcomes.

How about putting that money towards more education so all your medics can interpret 12-leads amd do more interventions based off of such?


Or more intubation education?