By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Township Council gave final approval to an ordinance that raises the fees charged by the Lawrence Township Emergency Medical Service and implements some new fees but not without some questioning by residents Tuesday night.
The ordinance is needed to generate additional revenue to offset the costs of providing emergency medical services, Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun said. It costs $337,000 more to support the service than the township receives in fees.
Through a combination of balance billing which means a victim will be charged for the full cost of an ambulance trip to the hospital plus new or increased fees, the ordinance is anticipated to generate an additional $100,000 to $125,000.
The ordinance increases fees for transporting people to a hospital and for the use of oxygen. It will cost $785 for a trip to the hospital in an ambulance, plus $15 per mile. The fee for the use of oxygen is $70. A new fee of $25 will be charged for the use of a cervical collar, which immobilizes a patient’s neck to prevent further injury.
The ordinance requires all victims residents and non-residents to fully reimburse Lawrence Township for the use of an ambulance, unless the victim certifies that he or she does not have medical insurance coverage that would pay for the ambulance transportation service. In that case, the fee will be waived.
Right now, only non-residents are required to fully reimburse the township for the cost of an ambulance trip through “balance billing.” This means they are sent a bill for the difference between the fee charged by Lawrence Township and the amount of money paid by their health insurance company.
The ordinance expands the “full reimbursement” provision to include township residents. Under the previous ordinance, the township accepted the amount of money offered by the resident’s health insurance company and did not bill the resident for the rest of the cost.
Senior citizens who are enrolled in Medicare and persons who receive Medicaid coverage will be billed differently, Mr. Krawczun said. Recipients of Medicaid, which is made available to persons who meet income guidelines, will not be subject to balance billing but Medicare recipients will have to pay a portion of the bill, up to $78.
Also, there are new fees in the ordinance that will be charged to rescue a victim who is trapped whether it is in a motor vehicle or a confined space, such as a trench that has collapsed. Victims who need to be plucked from floodwaters or a swiftly moving stream also would be charged.
The fee varies, depending on the type of rescue. If the victim needs to be rescued from a car, the cost is $950. But if the rescue effort requires the use of power tools, the charge is $1,950. And if it requires a specialized, technical rescue from floodwaters or fast-moving waters, a trench or a confined space the fee is $2,800.
Several residents questioned how the fees would be billed, and who would pay for them.
Mr. Krawczun replied that medical fees would be billed to the victim’s health insurance company, while the fees for extrication from an automobile accident would be billed to the car insurance company. The victim would be “balance-billed” for the medical fees, but it is likely that the car insurance company would pay the whole tab, he said.
When resident Glenn Collins suggested reverting to the township’s former practice contracting with an agency to provide emergency medical services part of the day and hiring the township’s own emergency medical technicians for part of the day Mr. Krawczun said that method was “the most expensive scenario.”
Councilman Greg Puliti said Township Council is looking for “the best thing” for the township. Handing over the emergency medical services to an outside provider means township officials risk losing control of the service, he said. Township officials can ensure that an ambulance is available around the clock in the township.
And when Linda Dlabik reminded the council that at one point, there was talk of eliminating the Lawrence Township Emergency Medical Service, Mr. Krawczun replied that consideration will be given to retaining the emergency medical technicians. They have already agreed to give up a step raise for 2013, he said.
”This is a move, by increasing the amount of revenue, we can protect the services for a little longer,” Mr. Krawczun said of the ordinance and the fee hikes.

