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Douglas County Fire and EMS may implement $100 response fee

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Published  November 15, 2024 6:51pm EST
Douglas County
FOX 5 Atlanta

Changes to Douglas County EMS fees

Everything is more expensive these days including an ambulance ride. It’s the last thing you want to be thinking about in a medical emergency is what is this going to cost. Douglas county has just raised EMS fees across the board except for one service.

The Brief

    • Douglas County is contemplating a $100 fee for EMS calls that result in treatment without hospital transport due to costs like $200 for Glucagon.
    • Despite other districts like Gwinnett and Cobb not charging for non-transport EMS services, Douglas County's proposal aims to offset expenses and potential abuse of the 911 system.
    • Officials recognize taxpayer concerns about the new fee in light of existing tax contributions, while also addressing challenges of healthcare access driving up 911 service demand.
    • Douglas County has deferred the proposed response fee but approved a 30% increase in EMS fees, raising the basic life support transport cost to $767 and advanced life support to $1,152.
    • The county emphasizes that even with these fee increases, their EMS charges remain some of the lowest in the metro Atlanta area, with no immediate plans for further hikes.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - Douglas County says 34% of its EMS runs do not involve transports. Meaning it's fairly common for ambulances to come to a house without ever taking the patient to the hospital.

For the first time, Douglas County is considering charging for ambulance runs where a patient is assessed and treated but not taken to the hospital.

"We give the Glucagon, and it costs $200, and we can't recoup that because we can't bill," says Stacie Farmer, Deputy Fire Chief/EMS.

Douglas County Fire and EMS is proposing to charge a $100 response fee. While some areas do charge for such services, others do not.

Gwinnett County says even if an ambulance is part of the emergency response and provides advanced care at the scene, the patient will not be billed unless they are transported to the emergency room. 

Cobb County says it does not charge any fees for EMS to patients.

County Commissioner Mark Alcarez says if there are any people abusing the 911 call system, he can understand the proposed move but has raised concerns.

"Are taxpayers going to say, 'I pay taxes, why charge $100 for this?'" the commission vice chair questioned.

In a statement, the county added:

"Moreover, as many patients are unable to access healthcare due to crowded emergency rooms, the inability to access real-time doctor appointments, and the ease of 911 use, the percentage of individuals requesting service is outpacing our county growth; meaning people are calling 911 more frequently to access their care."

For now, commissioners are holding off on the proposed new fee, but they have given the go-ahead for an across-the-board 30% increase in EMS fees.

The least expensive ride to the hospital will now be $767 for BLS-- basic life support where there is a medical assessment with no advanced procedures. ALS-2 service, which calls for multiple, more involved treatments, say for cardiac arrest, has jumped from $877 to $1,152.

Fire and EMS says the county's fee schedule is still among the lowest in metro Atlanta and rules out another increase request in the near future.

The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta spoke with Douglas County officials for this report and spoke with officials from Cobb and Gwinnett counties to provide a comparison.