Comparing ambulance transport costs

So, Rural/Metro got the ambulance contract. Conspiracy theories start in 3. . . 2 . . . 1 . . . .

Heh.

Anyhoo, I'm curious just how much these ambulance companies make off the contracts. I mean really. We report that it's more than $60 million over the life of the five-year deal, but I've heard it's as much as $50 million A YEAR!

But, the money, folks, isn't made off those trips to the ER, it's made off transports to the dialysis centers. And we got plenty of those here.

The county, though, in the bidding process, did make the three companies that bid on the contract disclose some stuff, like transport fees. Its not a lot of info, but it provides some insight into how much you or your insurance company is going to shell out.

Here's the numbers for Rural/Metro:

• Advance Life Support Emergency Service: $755.25 base charge and $8.73 a mile
• Advance Life Support Non-Emergency Service: $755.25 base charge and $8.73 a mile
• Basic Life Support Emergency Service: $755.25 base charge and $8.73 a mile
• Basic Life Support Non-Emergency Service: $326 base charge and $8.73 a mile
• Critical Care Transport: $936.64 base charge and $8.73 a mile

American Medical Response (AMR) was runner-up in the bidding process, so here's a look at their rates (please not that the rate costs were just one of a number of things the evaluation committee studied):

• Advance Life Support Emergency Service: $825 base charge and $12 per mile
• Advance Life Support Non-Emergency Service: $695 base charge and $12 per mile
• Basic Life Support Emergency Service: $575 base charge and $12 per mile
• Basic Life Support Non-Emergency Service: $353 base charge and $12 per mile
• Critical Care Transport: $825 base charge and $12 per mile

Third place was Falck. Here ya go:

• Advance Life Support Emergency Service: $750 base charge and $9.95 per mile
• Advance Life Support Non-Emergency Service: $750 base charge and $9.95 per mile
• Basic Life Support Emergency Service: $595 base charge and $9.95 per mile
• Basic Life Support Non-Emergency Service: $325 base charge and $9.95 per mile
• Critical Care Transport: $750 base charge and $9.95 per mile

In addition, Falck had some ad-on fees, charging $75 for each of the following: oxygen administration, EKG, IV administration, medication administration (really?), and “treatment no transport.”