Spokane's fire chief negotiated the proposed ambulance service rate hike down to 28%. | Stock photo
Spokane's fire chief negotiated the proposed ambulance service rate hike down to 28%. | Stock photo
A 28% hike on the base charge for an ambulance transport sounded high to the Spokane City Council, but it could have been worse.
American Medical Response (AMR) initially wanted to charge $1,207 as its base rate, up from the previous rate of $757, the Spokesman-Review reported. Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer negotiated the proposed rate down to $975, which is the rate the city council saw.
AMR justified its rate hike request due to the low rates it charges for medical transport and the increasing cost of doing business.
Paul Priest, representing AMR told the city council, “What we’re really asking for is $27 extra per trip in order to sustain our system and pay our troops,” the Spokesman-Review reported.
City Council decided to wait to decide on the contract. They can renew the existing contract for five years with only inflation rate increases. City administrative staff said AMR was due for an increase.
AMR said rising labor costs due to a new contract with the union that represents its workers and how much more it costs to clean equipment since the COVID-19 pandemic increased its overall costs, the Spokesman-Review reported.
Spokane had been charged less than other Pacific Northwest communities. Tacoma pays almost four times more than Spokane for basic and advanced life support services, the Spokesman-Review reported. Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance reimbursement means AMR only gets a small amount of the rate increase.
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