[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the City
of Union City as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fees — See Ch. 155.
[Adopted 5-14-2004]
A.
The City of Union City's emergency medical services provides
medical care and transportation by certified trained personnel at
the scene and by transporting sick or injured persons to and from
a medical facility.
B.
The City advertised and invited bids from companies who provide emergency
medical/ambulance transport billing services.
C.
One purpose of this article is to authorize certain fees to be charged
to all persons receiving emergency medical services or ambulance transport
services by the Union City Emergency Medical Services.
D.
The City of Union City is about to apply to the New Jersey State
Department of Health and Senior Services for a license to administer
an emergency medical services program.
E.
Upon the issuance of said license, the City will apply for a provider
number from the Federal and State Medicare/Medicaid Programs enabling
the City to institute a third-party payment plan (the "payment plan").
F.
Many or most residents have an insurance plan or Medicare/Medicaid
which provides payments to relieve their payment obligations.
G.
It is in the best interests of the taxpayers of the City of Union
City to establish the payment plan in accordance with the Health Care
Finance Administration (HCFA) Guidelines so that Union City taxpayers
will not be responsible for copayments.
All City officers and employees be and hereby are directed to
take all steps necessary to obtain the aforesaid license and provider
number and to establish the aforesaid payment plan based thereon.
The Director of Revenue and Finance and the Chief Financial
Officer of the City will be responsible for overseeing the plan's
billing.
[Amended 3-16-2010; 5-21-2013]
Fees for emergency medical services shall be charged as provided for in Chapter 155, Fees.
Pursuant to a public bidding and public contracting process,
the City shall retain an ambulance billing service to serve as the
third-party administrator for the identification, processing and collection
of all monies due the City arising from the provision of emergency
medical and ambulance transport services provided by the Union City
Emergency Medical Services (hereinafter "UCEMS"), subject to the following:
A.
Union City residents shall not be directly billed for payment of
services from UCEMS, for copays, or for any bill balances not paid
by their insurance company; and
B.
The City reserves the right to write off any bill for UCEMS services
rendered to any person who has no insurance coverage for such services
or who meets the low- or moderate-income criteria set forth in N.J.A.C.
5:92-1.3.
The Director of Revenue and Finance and the Chief Financial
Officer shall annually review the plan's cost accounting records,
and the Chief Financial Officer shall obtain the industry average
for such charges.
The Director of Revenue and Finance and the Chief Financial Officer shall annually, no later than March 1, adjust the fee for services set forth in § 12-4 in accordance with said industry average and file a certified copy of said fees with the City Clerk. Such revised fees shall, upon filing with the City Clerk, have the full force and affect of law as if set forth herein.
The Director of Revenue and Finance and the Chief Financial
Officer be and hereby are authorized to enter into contracts on behalf
of the City with various hospitals that provide advance life support
(ALS) services to the patients that are transported by the Union City
Ambulance Squad, allowing the hospitals to bundle-bill Medicare for
services rendered. Any such contracts shall contain a provision whereby
the hospital will be required to reimburse the City for its transportation
costs, and the City will be required to pay the hospital all ALS assessments
from money each party receives respectively within 45 days of receipt
of payment.
A certified copy of this article shall be filed with the applicable
federal and/or state agencies.
