Prince George’s County Fire/EMS – General Order 05-19: Emergency Transportation Fee

30 vocabulary flashcards covering definitions, responsibilities, and revenue procedures in General Order 05-19 on the Emergency Transportation Fee.

Advanced Life Support-1 (ALS-1)

Ground ambulance transport that includes an ALS assessment or at least one ALS intervention, plus medically necessary supplies and services.

Advanced Life Support-2 (ALS-2)

Ground ambulance transport that includes at least three IV/medication administrations or one specified ALS-2 intervention, with medically necessary supplies and services.

ALS-2 Interventions

High-level procedures such as manual defibrillation/cardioversion, endotracheal intubation, central venous line, cardiac pacing, chest decompression, surgical airway, or intraosseous line.

Basic Life Support (BLS)

Ground ambulance transport providing BLS care and medically necessary supplies and services as defined by the State of Maryland.

Career Clinician

Department employee on an ALS or BLS crew who is MIEMSS-certified/licensed.

Volunteer Clinician

MIEMSS-certified ALS or BLS crew member who belongs to a volunteer corporation and is in good standing with the Department.

County ALS Unit

County-owned ALS transport unit that meets or exceeds all standards for ALS service in Prince George’s County.

County BLS Unit

County-owned BLS transport unit that meets or exceeds all standards for BLS service in Prince George’s County.

Volunteer ALS Unit

Volunteer-owned ALS transport unit meeting all operational standards in the County.

Volunteer BLS Unit

Volunteer-owned BLS transport unit meeting all operational standards in the County.

Emergency Transportation

Exigent patient transport performed under the EMS Operational Program authority within Prince George’s County.

Ground Ambulance Transportation

Ambulance staffed by an EMT, CRT, or Paramedic qualified under Maryland law.

Revenue Sharing Plan

Policy that dictates how collected emergency transportation fees are split between the County and volunteer corporations when criteria are met.

Governing Authority (Sec. 11-346)

County Code provision authorizing billing and collection of emergency transportation fees; care cannot be denied for inability to pay.

Fee Transparency

Requirement that clinicians give accurate, objective information about the fee schedule when patients ask.

Controlling Interest

Clinicians must always prioritize patient care; data collection cannot delay or interfere with treatment or transport.

Clinician Documentation Responsibilities

Obtain and enter critical patient demographics (name, DOB, SSN, address, phone) in the ePCR before leaving the facility whenever possible.

Data Security (Patient Info)

Clinicians must safeguard all personal data and shred hand-written notes after completing the ePCR.

Billing Consent

Federal rule requiring a patient’s signature or suitable substitute to bill insurance; separate from consent for treatment/transport.

Vendor Billing Responsibilities

External vendor gathers ePCR, clinician, and unit data, generates all bills, and sends them to patients and Fiscal Affairs.

Vendor Reporting Responsibilities

Monthly reports including Run Reconciliation, Accounts Receivable (aged), Revenue Generated, and Payer Split.

Patient Payment – Insured Residents

Insurance payment is accepted as payment in full; the County does not balance bill residents.

Patient Payment – Uninsured/Hardship

Residents owe nothing; out-of-county patients can arrange hardship relief and will not face collections.

Revenue Split (20/20/20/20/20)

Collected fees divided: 20% driver affiliation, 20% aid clinician affiliation, 20% unit ownership, 20% unit maintenance, 20% EMS Operations Fund.

EMS Operations Fund

County share (20%) used to offset costs of EMS equipment and supplies.

County Usage of Shared Revenue

Funds supplement or enhance services and cannot replace normal County operating funds; purchases must follow policies.

Volunteer Corporation Usage

With County approval, volunteers may spend shares on administration, apparatus, equipment, facilities, and limited debt service.

Revenue Disbursement Process

Volunteers submit annual spending plans (by Nov 1) and request funds with documentation; requests no more than monthly unless emergent.

Audits

Fire Commission and Fiscal Affairs audit each volunteer corporation’s revenue and expenditures at least annually; subject to County audits.

Compliance

Violations or falsification regarding transport fees may result in discipline up to termination; supervisors held accountable for patterns of non-compliance.