[Adopted 9-13-2010 by Ord. No. 571]
[Amended 3-9-2020 by Ord. No. 685]
The Borough of Buena provides emergency medical services through
the Division of Emergency Medical Services to citizens and visitors
of the Borough of Buena on a twenty-four-hour basis throughout the
year to the extent that such resources are available.
All persons needing EMS services within the Borough of Buena
shall be serviced to the extent that such services are available without
discrimination on any basis, and without respect to residency, ability
to pay, or any other factor. No person located within the Borough
of Buena at the time emergency medical services are needed shall be
denied or delayed available service when such services are available.
The Borough of Buena, through the Division of Emergency Medical
Services and a third-party billing agent (retained by the Borough
of Buena for purposes of seeking payment for the provision of emergency
services), shall maintain accurate records of all of requests for
service, service calls, and services approved by the Division of EMS.
Said records shall include pertinent information about the general
nature of the call and shall identify the complete name, mailing address,
place of domicile, location and telephone numbers of all persons requesting
and receiving the EMS services, as well as all pertinent and available
insurance information.
[Amended 3-9-2015 by Ord.
No. 627; 3-9-2020 by Ord. No. 685]
The Borough of Buena shall contract with a third-party billing
agent for the collection of payment for services rendered by the Division
of EMS. Said bill shall be issued to the insurance company for the
person served, if any, or directly to the person served if insurance
coverage is not available. Fees to be charged for the EMS services
shall be as follows:
A.
Ambulance transportation: $950.
B.
Basic life support mileage: $18 per loaded mile.
C.
Oxygen administration: $75.
D.
Automatic external defibrillator (AED) pads: $75.
E.
Cervical collars: $25.
F.
Treatment but transport refusal: $150.
G.
Naloxone
(Narcan) administration: $75.
H.
Epinephrine
administration: $140.
I.
Glucose
administration: $5.
J.
Aspirin
administration: $5.
K.
Continuous
positive airway pressure (CPAP) administration: $75.
L.
Albuterol administration: $10.
[Amended 3-9-2020 by Ord. No. 685]
Persons receiving a bill for the EMS services shall make payment
to the Borough of Buena third-party billing agent within 30 days;
or provide proof that they have submitted a claim to their insurance
carrier for payment within 30 days of receipt of a bill. These provisions
shall be subject to the following:
A.
Persons receiving the EMS service who have health insurance to cover
ambulance and emergency medical services are expected to cooperate
with the Borough of Buena's third-party billing agent to secure full
payment for services rendered.
B.
In the event the health insurance company of a taxpayer or domiciled
resident does not pay the bill in full, the Borough of Buena will
accept such partial payment to the extent of the insured's policy
limits, including deductible and co-insurance requirements, as payment
in full.
C.
Due to the time requirements for the preparation and processing of
insurance claims, interest shall not be charged on Borough of Buena's
billings.
D.
After providing emergency medical services, the Borough of Buena shall transmit all pertinent billing information to the Borough of Buena's third-party billing agent for collection as set forth in Subsection E below. The third-party billing agent shall be responsible for receipt of payment and proper recordkeeping of its collections as provided in its contract with the Borough of Buena. Payments received by the third-party billing agent shall, thereafter, be transmitted electronically to a designated account of the Borough of Buena to be administrated by the Borough Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In addition, the third-party billing agent shall transmit monthly a deposit report to the Chairperson of the Safety Committee for review and approval and a copy of the deposit report to the Borough CFO and the EMS Chief. The third-party billing agent shall prepare a reconciliation report for monthly review by the EMS Chief. The EMS Chief shall monitor the operations of the third-party billing agent, including billing activities and receipt of funds.
E.
The third-party billing agent shall be responsible for the initial
billing and at least two follow-up billings. Costs associated with
the third-party reimbursement requests shall be based solely on a
percent of reimbursement collections as provided in its contract with
the Borough of Buena. After at least three attempts to collect said
claim, any delinquent accounts will be reviewed with the Borough of
Buena and those accounts approved by the Borough of Buena will be
sent to a third-party collection agency by the billing company. Collection
fees will be paid by the Borough of Buena. The billing company will
track and report all payments received by the collections service
and will be paid its percentage of the net proceeds from collections.
The Borough of Buena reserves the right to determine that a bill is
uncollectible and should be written off.
For the purposes of emergency medical service charges, the following
definitions shall apply:
Any individual who is the spouse or an unemancipated child (natural,
adopted or stepchild) of a taxpayer or domiciled resident as defined
in this section;
Any unemancipated child for whom the taxpayer or year-round
resident has been appointed legal guardian;
Any individual who resides in a permanent domicile of the taxpayer
of domiciled resident and is claimed as a dependent for federal income
tax purposes; or
Any individual who resides in the permanent domicile of the
taxpayer or domiciled resident, and who is deemed to be a dependent
under the health insurance policy of the taxpayer or domiciled resident.
Any individual whose legal domicile is within the Borough
of Buena. Verification of domicile shall be based on voter registration,
a State of New Jersey Driver's license, proof of filing a State of
New Jersey income tax return from a Borough of Buena address or other
proofs accepted under federal guidelines.
Any individual listed on the deed of ownership of any property
located within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Buena and
their dependents as defined in this section. In the case of corporation,
partnership, only those individuals retaining a 25% or greater ownership
shall be considered a taxpayer. For the purpose of determining a 25%
or greater ownership, adult married or civil union partners may combine
their ownership. "Dependent" as defined in this section shall be considered
a taxpayer.
