County formalizes agreement on hospital’s use of ambulances
Staff writer
An agreement on emergency medical services’ charges for assisting St. Luke Hospital got final approval Monday from county commissioners.
Under its terms, the county will transfer St. Luke patients to and from Hillsboro Community Hospital when requested as long as schedules allow.
St. Luke will pay $300 for each round trip and an additional $15 for each mile that a patient is in the ambulance.
County ambulance attendants also will go to St. Luke to assist with patients when needed. Services will include helping hospital personnel with lifting patients, imposing patient restraints, and starting patient IVs.
The ambulance service has the right to decline to provide services based on availability of personnel or high call volume.
For those services, St. Luke will pay $250 for each call and $250 an hour for each additional hour on site. The hospital also will reimburse the county for any medications and supplies provided.
Interim ambulance director Chuck Kenney said Hillsboro Community Hospital chief executive Mark Rooker had agreed to the same terms and an identical agreement will be drawn up with HCH.
In other business Monday, commissioners approved purchase of a transfer station trailer from KNL Holdings for $84,027.