Ambulance providers await town’s decision
The bid process that will decide Rotterdam’s future ambulance service provider is likely to get heated, with Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services aggressively trying to maintain its position with the town while Mohawk attempts to make inroads.
In its bid proposal, REMS cited a May 2009 incident in which it alleged Mohawk Ambulance Service’s delayed response led to the death of an 11-year-old boy involved in a bike accident.
Mohawk’s bid proposal doesn’t mention REMS at all.
If [REMS] wants to take a political approach to things, it is not appropriate, said Tom Nardacci, spokesman for Mohawk. `REMS has been on this mission to denigrate Mohawk, but the fact of the matter is, Mohawk is the premier primary ambulance company in the area.`
The Town of Rotterdam and REMS are currently involved in a medical malpractice suit dealing with the death of Alessandro DiMeo under the provider’s care in 2009.
In the lawsuit, Maria DiMeo alleges REMS transported her husband to St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany versus the nearby Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, and when her husband’s conditioned worsened, the two REMS employees riding in the ambulance were basic emergency technicians who lacked the training to properly care for him. His condition allegedly became progressively worse as he traveled to the hospital under REMS’ care, and, the lawsuits alleges, ultimately led to his death.
Also included in REMS’ bid are news articles of the bike accident and stenograph minutes from a Nov. 17 public hearing in Brunswick about expanding Mohawk’s operating territory.
During the bidding process, REMS has tried to distinguish itself as a not-for-profit organization opposed to the for-profit competitor. A representative from REMS could not be reached for comment about the content of the bid.
In REMS’ bid, the following statement made at the Brunswick hearing by Mohawk representative Daniel Gilmore was highlighted in the stenograph minutes: `As a commercial agency, we to have a service that is valuable. A service that is valuable depends on call volume that we have and can grow out into the county. If that call volume was to be jeopardized, then we would have to re-look at our position.`
Gilmore’s statement was in response to a question about whether the company had a guarantee with the Town of Hoosick moving forward, but Mohawk had an agreement with the county, not the town. Mohawk had staffed before the hearing an additional 24/7 advanced life support ambulance posted at the Hoosick Fire Department. The hearing was on Mohawk opposing the addition of another provider in the service area, which was also served by Empire Ambulance Service.
Mohawk’s bid before Rotterdam states it would have a minimum of one ambulance dedicated to the town 24/7 every day, and its intention is to staff additional ambulances in the town once the appropriate facility is acquired. Nardacci said Mohawk has been looking into possibilities for a permanent location if it’s chosen as the provider by the board.
REMS has also proposed having a minimum of one 24/7 everyday ambulance.
`I think the proposals should stand on their merit,` said Nardacci. `Over the last two years, there has been a public dialogue with the officials in Rotterdam one of things that is crystal clear and important is to recover all ALS.`
Mohawk’s proposal to provide advanced life support billing services at no cost to the town came as a surprise to Frank Salamone, attorney for REMS.
`I remember them (Mohawk) criticizing REMS that they were going to do it inexpensively and questioning that service for the price,` said Salamone.
REMS stuck with its previous offer of a $10 service charge per ALS bill processed, which appeared to come in lower than Mohawk’s previous proposal that was percentage-based.
`It is not an unusual practice for Mohawk. There are some contracts where they charge and there are some contracts where they don’t,` said Nardacci.
Largely the two proposals are exactly the same, except for the difference in ALS billing service charges. Mohawk does have a bigger pool of ambulances to draw from, totaling 25 in the Capital District, and Nardacci did add once Mohawk purchased a property the facility would be on the tax roll since it’s a for-profit company.
Although the town was originally scheduled to vote on the proposals at the Wednesday, April 13, meeting, that decision has been delayed. Supervisor Frank Del Gallo said the attorneys are still evaluating the bids.“
