05/27/1980 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The rate increase is not justified. Ht:' finrls it h(lrrl to ask JlC'orlp to pay 30 percent more on a b i 11 when he has IIUt bL't~1I Wlll'" I Ill) 'lit' ,t company that has kept its word. There are many internal problems with 4It MSI and he would request an investigation to see if there has been a misuse of funds. The paramedics were promised a pay increase which they have not received. Instead they are told they are in danqer of losing their jobs unless they increase revenue by $10 per call. He concludes there is mismanagement and a different management style could perhaps keep the company out of the red. There were five paramedic units and now there are only four to serve 225,000 people in the metropolitan area. Mr. Bard stated he feels MSI deserves to be out of business, not given a rate increase. Greg Pereyna, 710 East 3rd, Lowell, is against the rate increase because he feels pressure regarding the procedures he uses due to the cost to the patient and with this increase it would cost them even more. Richard McConnell stated he does not see how the city can approve the rate increase because of the breach in contract. The Fire Department has not been called to quicken their response time. If gas is a problem, MSI's employees should not be transporting the Leonard family. Dick Nice, Lane County Fire Defense Board, stated he is Chief of the Goshen Rural Fire Protection District and is representing the Lane County Fire Defense Board which consists of 21 fire departments or di stricts that are within the response area of the ambul ance service. A It is the unanimous opinion of the Lane County Fire Defense Board that ,., no rate increase be discussed or granted until after the study is completed and reviewed by the Emergency Medical Services Study Task Force. Patricia Armstrong, 189 Fairmount, stated her husband had had a heart attack at the Unlversity of Oregon on March 2, 1980. She stated that Pacific Hospital Association, which normally pays 100% of everything, did in this instance, except for MSI charges, where they paid less than 50%. It took them 46 minutes to get him six blocks to Sacred Heart because their maps were 15 years old and they tried to take a street that no longer existed. She received a bill three days after the last rites had been administered to her husband at Sacred Heart Hospital for $10.80 service charqe, and it was her understanding that this should not occur until 30 days after the incident occurred. Also, after talking with the Operations Manager, John Nunn, and the Ambulance Supervisor, Mr. Lima, they reduced her bill by $19.20 since an IV had not been administered. If everyone is overcharged $19.20, and the average calls for six months are 3,000, that would be $57,600 that should not be charged to patients. She found out that the paramedics get only $3.35 per hour and that the truck has Federal .e 5/27/80--6