Billing Rates Across the U.S.

46Young

Level 25 EMS Wizard
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Does anyone here with any knowledge of reimbursement rates of both private insurance and Medicare/Medicaid, know if these rates are the same from region to region, or if the rates change based on regional cost of living?

I'm trying to figure out how some employers can pay EMS well (NY/NY/DE) for example, and elsewhere EMT's get less than $10/hr, and medics not much more.

You could say that regions with a greater tax base can afford to pay more, but I worked in hospital based EMS for 5 yrs in NYC (911 and IFT), where I made $22/hr as a basic, and $30/hr as a medic, and also 10% night diff. Meanwhile, in the Southeast, it's typical for medics to start at $35k/yr or less, on a 56hr schedule, which results in $11/hr.

IFT in NYC (2007) started medics from $19-$21/hr, and AMR in DC starts at $20/hr currently IIRC. Meanwhile, in Northern VA, which has a comparable cost of living to the outer boroughs of NYC, starts medics from $14 - $17/hr. Same out west an hour near Winchester VA, medics $16/hr or so, $20/hr for per diems. For the hospital based EMS and IFT, tax shouldn't be part of the equation. So, is there different insurance reimbursement rates from place to place, or do employers just try to pay less in an area with a lower cost of living?
 
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