HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000 10 30 Regular B Fire Department Medical Transport Agreement
Date: 103000
Due to time constraints, this Regular Agenda
Item B was not heard on 10/23/2000 Meeting.
COMMISSION AGENDA
ITEM
B
CONSENT
INFORMATIONAL
PUBLIC HEARING
REGULAR X
Meeting
MGR~IDEPT --.J!;L.
Authorization I
October 23, 2000
REQUEST: Fire Department requesting authorization for the City Manager to negotiate
an Agreement to allow the Fire Department to provide Medical Transport
from an Emergency Room to a Hospital affiliated with the Emergency Room
at no additional charge beyond the initial transport.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Commission item is to gain Commission authority to
authorize the City Manager to negotiate an Agreement that would reduce medical
transport time and mileage by opening an Emergency Room in the Winter Springs
Boulevard and State Road 426 area. This Emergency Room would require a
patient transfer by the City of Winter Springs Fire Department if the patient were
to be admitted to a Hospital facility and was originally transported by the Fire
Department. This transfer would be required as part of the initial transport fee and
not an additional fee to the Emergency Room or the patient.
CONSIDERATIONS:
An entity is proposing the opening of a full service, 24 hour, seven days a week,
Emergency Room in the vicinity of Winter Springs Boulevard and State Road 426. This
facility would be similar to other Emergency Rooms in Central Florida, with the
exception of not being directly connected to a hospital building with beds available for
admittance. However, this proposed stand-alone emergency room, would be affiliated
with a full-service hospital.
The entity proposing the facility has determined that an Emergency Room in the
Tuscawilla / Oviedo area is warranted, and does anticipate the need for a complete
hospital facility in the near future. Fire Station 26 in the Tuscawilla PUD is
approximately 2.6 miles from the proposed site with the closest Emergency Room
October 23,2000
Regular Agenda Item "B"
Page 2
currently from Fire Station 26 being 8.2 miles away on State Road 434 in Longwood.
This proposed Emergency Room would allow medical transports that most often go to the
Hospital Emergency Room in Longwood, to be transported to this facility. If the patient
subsequently requires to be admitted to the Hospital, then a medical transport unit will be
required to take the patient to their Hospital facility. The entity proposing the Emergency
Room state that one (1) in four (4) that enter the Emergency Room are admitted to the
Hospital. The entity proposing the Emergency Room has requested to make this venture
possible that the Fire Department originally bringing the patient into their facility would
in turn "transfer" the patient to the Hospital facility with no additional charge beyond the
original transport charge.
The request to only charge once for the original transport and not charge for the transfer
to another facility is based upon Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance regulations for
reimbursement. The entity proposing the Emergency Room is requiring the City of
Winter Springs Fire Department to not charge for patient transfers, and to transfer any
patients that we take to this facility to their Hospital.
Having an Emergency Room close to the eastern boundaries ofthe City of Winter
Springs will be an asset to the citizens. Response time to current facilities is 20 minutes
and greater, and any reduction in time is a benefit to health, safety, and welfare. Based
upon the information that this new Emergency Room would only be 2.6 miles away
versus 8.2 miles, and the number oftransfers to the Hospital would be an estimated one
(1) in four (4) patients. This would reduce the estimated average time spent on each
transport by 14 plus minutes, and would reduce each transport mileage by 5.6 plus miles.
The time required to transfer 1 in 4 patients will be estimated to be equal to the time
saved in the four (4) transports. However, the mileage saved will be one third including
the transfer. These mileage savings will result in less fuel, maintenance, and wear on the
medical transport vehicles.
October 23, 2000
Regular Agenda Item "B"
Page 3
FUNDING:
No additional funding is requested. Any potential savings will result in excess being
carried over in the Medical Transport budget reserve.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends authorization for the City Manager to negotiate an Agreement to allow
the Fire Department to provide Medical Transport from an Emergency Room to a
Hospital affiliated with the Emergency Room at no additional charge beyond the initial
transport.
IMPLEMENT ATION SCHEDULE:
N/A
ATTACHMENTS:
N/A
COMMISSION ACTION: