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County streamlines process for EMS billing

Any remaining fire department or ambulance service that wants Chautauqua County to take over emergency medical service billing can do so without further approval from elected officials.

During the most recent county Legislature meeting, lawmakers unanimously approved an agreement between the county EMS department and any village, fire district or independent fire department within the county for Advanced Life Support-Basic Life Support joint prehospital service agreements.

Earlier this year, there was a change in the state law regarding billing for emergency medical services. The new legislation states an ambulance service which does not issue a bill for its services and which requests an ALS intercept shall pay the ambulance service providing the ALS intercept.

Fire departments can become their own billing agency or partner with the county EMS to handle the billing. But if they don’t do anything, the county EMS will be legally required to bill the local fire departments for Advance Life Support calls. That rate is $250.

There are 42 fire departments in the county, 35 which have ambulance services. A number of them have already been approved to have the county take over their billing.

Officials said they think just about every ambulance group will either become their own billing entity or partner with the county, so they don’t have to bill them $250 for Advance Life Support calls.

The resolution was not discussed during the full legislature meeting, but during earlier committee meetings, Emergency Services Director Noel Guttman said this new resolution will streamline the process.

He did not say how many agencies have partnered with the county or how many have started the process to become their own billing agency.

The resolution was unanimously approved.

In other business:

¯ John Marengo of Jamestown was appointed to the county Ethics Board.

¯ Dennis Barmore of Gerry, Drew Rogers of Jamestown, David Burlee of Mayville, and Jessica Dayton of Jamestown were all reappointed to the Traffic Safety Board.

¯ Doug Bowen of Ripley, Jeffery Gossett of Fredonia, anad Bruno Bruni were all reappointed to the county Planning Board.

¯ Brooke Barone of Ashville, Carey Skelton of Jamestown, Lacey Wilson of Fluvanna, and Jessica Wuerstle of Dunkirk were appointed to the county Food Policy Council. Also, Linnea Haskin of Jamestown and Patricia Hammond were reappointed to the council.

¯ Lisa Kempisty with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County and Heather Woodis of Dewittville, an active farmer, were appointed to the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board.

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