News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Van Buren County EMS updating its collections policy to bring it closer to industry standards and remove some individual decision making.
Director Tiwanna Bricker told County Commissioners Tuesday night the policy last changed in 2004. Bricker said with a billing company now handling the accounting for the ambulance service, it made sense to examine the procedures. Bricker said her goal, treat everyone the same.
“I will fairly admit I am human,” Bricker said. “If I know somebody, it’s a little harder to send them on to collections. So I feel like just an impartial, they either meet this standard or they go to collections. That’s the most fair thing.”
Bricker said in the past, the county mayor even had a voice in collections decisions and each mayor approached it differently. The new policy also changes the collections period, which will now begin at 90 days, instead of 120. Bricker said that’s more in line with other agencies.
In addition to the policy, Bricker said her ambulance teams try to ensure they get the correct information on the front end to prevent problems later.
“They obviously try to bill insurance,” Bricker said. “We try to help them get as much insurance as we can, try to get the signatures as best we can. And then if they don’t have insurance or we didn’t manage to get any, they get letters usually that gets them to send us insurance. If they don’t have insurance, then they get that chance to call, make payments or something. We’ll take $5 a month, literally. So I don’t feel like we’re, we’re being harsh with doing this policy.”
Bricker said bills do not go to collections during the insurance process.
