FDNY EMS to raise transport fees

[Capttomo]

This is no different than a majority of other EMS systems throughout the country. As the costs of medical supplies, price of ambulances, fuel and salaries rise so too must transport fees. Transport fees only offset the costs of running an EMS system. They come nowhere near paying for the total cost of operations. The Post news should have researched and reported the transport fees of Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Newark, New Orleans, etc. and I would love to see the FDNY collection rate. My guess is it’s somewhere around 30-40%. And remember Medicare and Medicaid do not pay those rates as proposed. Nationwide Medicare and Medicaid only authorize a set amount with is significantly lower than the rates set by the EMS provider. So to me, these rate increases are in line with the operations of many other metro area urban EMS systems. Now let’s focus on paying the FDNY EMS members a decent salary.