Ambulance provider set to pay town $39K for 2009 ALS billing
Past advanced life support billing of Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services isn’t going to yield the six-digit payout some town officials hoped to see.
Rotterdam Supervisor Frank Del Gallo said at a recent Town Board meeting that negotiations with REMS for past ALS billings in 2009 totaled only around $39,000, according to financial documentation provided by REMS.
Board members had believed the payback would be about $100,000 for the year because REMS has predicted to reach a similar figure in their proposal to be the ambulance provider for the town.
Now, Del Gallo is telling board members not to expect $100,000 to be received in annual revenue from ALS billing revenue.
They did drop off the paper work to back it up somewhat, which I had copies and gave to all the board members to see if they have problems with it, said Del Gallo after the meeting. `They are concerned it should be more money, but the numbers are what they are. It comes from a collection agency so it isn’t something they made up. It is what is there.`
Messages to REMS’ lawyer, Terry Hannigan, for comment on ALS negotiations were not returned. Peter Brodie, a consultant for REMS, directed questions about ALS negations to Hannigan.
Del Gallo said during the meeting the board should further negotiate the 2009 `debt to the town` and Councilwoman Nicola DiLeva said she wasn’t pleased with REMS’ proposed payback.
`I can tell you right now I am not too happy with this,` said DiLeva about the ALS figure. `We’ve had REMS in here, we’ve had Mohawk in here, and they have both said $100,000 to $150,000 that they will pay back to Rotterdam.`
REMS has consistently said it would deliver $100,000 in ALS revenue each year, said DiLeva, so the $39,000 wasn’t acceptable to her.
`I want to see the $100,000 to $150,000 that they have been saying for the past two years,` said DiLeva.
She said REMS officials said they would go out of business without have a tax district, but it has continued to operate. REMS officials have said in the past the not-for-profit is focused on maintaining a sustainable business model with more effort placed on collecting bill payments.
`I can tell you $39,000 didn’t save them $39,000 is ridiculous,` said DiLeva.
Del Gallo restated REMS was the `lowest bidder` for the ambulance service provided to the town so it was chosen over Mohawk Ambulance Service.
`If somebody wants to sell you something, a car or any job or any sort of business, it is called sales,` said Del Gallo. `They could tell you anything they want to tell you, but facts are facts.`
DiLeva said for months Del Gallo has told the board and public that REMS owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Del Gallo said he and Deputy Supervisor Robert Godlewski were the only two board members to force a vote for the ambulance service provider of the town.
`I’ll give you the paperwork, and you prove there is more money there and you’ll get it,` said Del Gallo to DiLeva. `I don’t think you’re going to get a $100,000 a year from anybody.`
REMS previously stated the company collected around $10,000 a month in ALS revenue, said DiLeva, which is how they came up with the estimated revenue. According to information provided by REMS during their presentation to the board in May, there were 2,443 calls received in 2009 and of those calls 975 were ALS transports. In 2010, their numbers rose to 2,835 calls with 1,027 of those being ALS transports.
The town has yet to sign a contract with REMS for services because it is still being negotiated, said Del Gallo on Wednesday, Aug. 3. Del Gallo stressed the contract to provide a service has nothing to do with previous ALS collections.
`This is not the monster I created, it’s the monster that’s here, and it is not easy to get rid of it, so that is what we are working on,` said Del Gallo during the July meeting.“
