EMS Billing
Learn more about how EMS billing works, who will be billed, and also get answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
EMS Transport Bill Assistance
Please contact us via phone at (614) 652-3920.
If you are providing legal representation for a patient of Washington Township and would like to request information about your client’s EMS transport bill, contact Change Healthcare at 1 (855) 626-9660, the contractor who manages EMS billing on the Township’s behalf.
How EMS Billing Works
While treating and/or transporting patients, EMS and hospital personnel gather patient information and, if possible, ask the patient to sign a form authorizing disclosure of specific medical information protected by HIPAA privacy rules. This information is electronically submitted to a third party billing service. They review the report to determine the appropriate fee for the transportation services provided. Once the fee is determined, a claim is submitted to the patient’s private or government insurance carrier.
Who Will be Billed?
Washington Township and City of Dublin residents will not be billed for insurance co-pays or additional charges above the rate paid by their insurer for EMS transport. Residents may receive a letter requesting insurance information or verification, but they will not receive a bill even if they are uninsured.
Non-residents will be billed in the same manner as residents. However, non-residents will be billed for any unpaid balance not covered by the insurance carrier. If the non-resident is uninsured, they will be billed for the entire amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. No one will be denied emergency medical service or transport for any reason. The medical treatment that a patient receives will not be changed in any way by an EMS billing program.
To verify your identity and prevent fraud. Because the Fire and EMS Department charges fees for service, ambulance crews are instructed to verify patient identity including name, social security number, birth date, home address and telephone number.
Yes, we understand that this is an inconvenience, but in order to ensure we have the approval to bill your insurance on your behalf, this information may be requested again if not properly obtained when the incident originally happened. Please complete, sign and mail to the address provided by the company requesting this important information. Currently our third party billing company is ChangeHealthcare. Their address is: 3131 Newmark Drive Suite 100 Miamisburg, Ohio 45342. The phone number is 1-866-631-4551.
Sometime after your hospital visit, your insurance carrier will be billed for the transport. When your insurance carrier or Medicare pays the transport charges, you will receive an “Explanation of Benefits” form to notify you that the charges have been paid. That will be the end of the transaction for Washington Township and City of Dublin residents. In some cases, the third party billing service may not have the name of your insurer. In those cases, you may receive a letter asking you to provide this information. If you are a resident, you will NOT receive nor will you be expected to pay the bill yourself. Charges are assessed only if the patient is transported to a medical facility. If a patient receives medical attention, but is not transported, there is no charge for the service.
The cost of the transport would depend on the type of the service provided and the distance to the medical facility. For example, the charge for basic life support (BLS) transports will be less than the charge for advanced life support (ALS) transports. Our rates would be based on the reasonable and customary Medicare rates for our region and would be comparable to the rates of other departments in central Ohio.
No. If you are insured, you are already paying for this service. By state statute, EMS transport fees are included in your current premium. All private and government insurers already carry provisions to pay for EMS transport.
Washington Township’s billing service provider has been instructed to practice “soft billing.” This means that, once the Township’s billing service receives verification that you are not covered by insurance or Medicare, the billing process ends for Washington Township and City of Dublin residents. No bill will be sent and you will not be expected to pay the charges. Non-residents will be billed for any unpaid balance.
By statute, revenue raised by charging for EMS transports must be used for expenses associated with the “management, maintenance, and operation of the Township’s fire and EMS services” and which are currently being paid by tax revenue in the Fire fund.
Contact the Washington Township Fire Chief Alec O’Connell at (614) 652-3950 with any questions.
EMS Billing Services and The Washington Township Fire Department abide by a federally acquired Health Insurance Privacy Protection (HIPAA) Compliance Program that protects your health information.