City of Upper Arlington, Ohio

Upper Arlington City Council recognizes the importance and value of providing exceptional safety services to the community. Results of a 2003 community survey clearly indicated that many residents rate safety high on their list of UA strengths, with fire, emergency medical and police services ranking the highest of all City services.

The costs for providing and enhancing such services are expensive by nature and continue to rise, presenting the ongoing challenge of seeking and securing adequate funding. Approximately 85 percent of communities nationwide are billing for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) runs. Private insurance and Medicare policies already contain provisions for treatment and transport by an emergency medical provider. The funds generated from EMS billing provide an effective long-term means to defray some of the costs involved with EMS units. EMS billing revenues are earmarked to support the long-term needs of the Fire Division, such as equipment upgrades and maintenance of the community's three fire stations.

In 2004, City Council authorized the development and implementation of an EMS billing program, and authorized the City Manager to enter into a vendor contract to provide third party billing administration for the new program. (The current third-party administrator is MED3000.) The city's EMS transport billing program went into effect July 1, 2004.

If you or a family member is provided with emergency medical services that result in transportation to a local hospital, a bill for the transport will be sent to your insurance company, Medicare, or Medicaid. There is never a situation where service must be paid for on the day it is rendered, and UAFD personnel will never be involved in any part of a financial transaction.

Patient care will not be compromised by this program and you should never be afraid to call 9-1-1 for help when you need it. The fire departments in Franklin County will never refuse to render treatment or to transport to a medical facility due to inability to pay or lack of insurance.

EMS services should always be used in times of medical emergency, especially when a patient is alone and not in a condition to drive to a medical facility. Doing so brings with it a high risk of losing control of the vehicle and further injuring or even killing yourself, as well as endangering the lives of others on the road. Remember also that EMS providers don't have to deal with the delays of road traffic and parking, and can deliver patients to medical facilities more rapidly and safer.