News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Overton County Ambulance Service’s revenue increased some $250,000 for the 2019 fiscal year.
Director Jim Morgan said the increase is mainly due to switching to a new in house billing software. The billing software is used to file claims with insurance companies.
“We used to use a third party biller who did the billing for us,” Morgan said. “We have brought it back in house, and we control more of what happens with our billing.”
Morgan said the service now has more control of payments for service runs. Under the third party biller, payment would be declined for calls not justified by insurance. Also, the ambulance service no longer pays a percentage for each service call.
“When we are called to make a run, that does not guarantee payment,” Morgan said. “When we file the claim and try to justify the claim, if we can not justify a need for it, a lot of times they will deny that, and we do not get paid.”
Morgan said the steady pace of service calls also played a part of the increased revenue. The extra revenue will go into the county’s general fund.
