PANAMA CITY — The Bay County Commission Tuesday will decide whether to put unpaid ambulance bills in a more serious state of collection sooner than current policy, as the county struggles to find ways to make the service pay for itself.
Bay County’s ambulance service was falling nearly $2 million short of covering its operating costs in its first full fiscal year of operation, but officials are hopeful they will be able to close the gap by collecting millions in unpaid bills.
Bay County Budget Director Ashley Stukey said Monday he is compiling the latest numbers for commissioners but didn’t want to release them until they are reviewed by commissioners.
Currently, a first-party collection agency known as Intermedix handles collections for the first four months after invoices for ambulance rides are sent out, which can take a couple of months before they end up in a person’s mailbox after the ride. After five months passes and there has been no response from the customer, the company sends the bills out to a delinquent accounts vendor, Credit Business Services Inc., which can put unpaid debt on a person’s credit report.
Commissioners Tuesday are being asked to send the invoices over to Credit Business Services after four months instead. Intermedix earns 4.5 percent of the unpaid bills it collects. CBS is paid 21 percent.
“This new policy attempts to achieve a balance between the two vendors, while allowing for the county to more efficiently collect ambulance fees on amounts owed,” the County Commission agenda summary states.
Mark Bowen, chief of emergency services, said people who have their bills paid by Medicaid or Medicare would not be impacted by the policy change.
“The only classification we’re talking about here is our self-pay classification,” he said.
He also said a person’s bills would not end up at Credit Business Services if a person enters into a payment plan with Intermedix.
“Let’s say you have Florida Blue (Cross), but have a really high deductible and end up owing a big chuck of money out of our pocket. Intermedix will work with you, and you can pay $50 a month or whatever you can afford,” Bowen said. Three to four months is the medical industry standard for bills being sent out to a delinquent accounts, so by adopting the new policy the county would be falling in line with that standard, Bowen said.
“The truth is that Intermedix would like to keep the account as long as possible,” Bowen said. “It’s money in their pocket.”
But Bowen added the company might not have the financial incentive to aggressively collect as much as Credit Business Services that receives a much higher percentage on collected accounts, and the county is trying to strike the right balance.
In another medical-related issue Tuesday, the commission is scheduled to authorize and execute contracts with a physician appointed by the State Attorney to act as medical examiner. Dr. Michael Hunter, who has been the 14th Judicial Circuit’s medical examiner, has accepted a job as medical examiner in San Francisco. The position in this circuit will be vacant on March 21.