Has Medicare cuts hurt you yet?

[bayoumedic]

Well our private EMS company states that since congress failed to renew the reimbursement to ems in rural and super rural areas we got a nice fat pay cut, to the tune of 13,000 a year. The bad thing is they told us if it is renewed the pay would go back up, but not as high. Anyone else felt the pinch yet?

 

[looker]

The temporary extension has been passed, so it sounds like your work is using the excuse to cut salary. In all this time, congress/senate never let the cuts takes place and I do not see them starting now.

 

[VCEMT]

Well, the company I work for has a projected loss in the hundreds of thousands.

 

[Flight-LP]

Well our private EMS company states that since congress failed to renew the reimbursement to ems in rural and super rural areas we got a nice fat pay cut, to the tune of 13,000 a year. The bad thing is they told us if it is renewed the pay would go back up, but not as high. Anyone else felt the pinch yet?

They are blowing smoke up your arse. In some cases, rural Medicare rates can provide for a higher return than in their comparative urban areas. It honestly sounds like your company has a piss poor business plan if they are putting a direct correlation between salaries and reimbursement from one of the lowest payors. Some questions I would ask would be the percentage of medicare reimbursement received vs. billed, in addition to your billing departments overall rate of return. You may also want to inquire about your Operations' unit hour utilization. Are you running too many units for the volume? There are many aspects of the business side that too many people overlook or are just ignorant to. This sets a prime chance for an employer to walk in and pull the rug out from underneath you.

Educate yourself! In today's market, it is one of the few protective tools available to the employee.

 

[bstone]

Businesses have never been immune from making incredibly bad decisions. This is one of them.

 

[looker]

Businesses have never been immune from making incredibly bad decisions. This is one of them.

I don't think business made bad decision, they are just smoking smoke to cut salary of their employees. I am sure they know exactly what they are doing.

 

[DrParasite]

Well our private EMS company states that since congress failed to renew the reimbursement to ems in rural and super rural areas we got a nice fat pay cut, to the tune of 13,000 a year. The bad thing is they told us if it is renewed the pay would go back up, but not as high. Anyone else felt the pinch yet?

time to find a job with a new company. we have heard that there might not be raises because of the poor economy, but a pay cut for 13,000 a year? Time to look elsewhere, sounds like your private company is looking to screw you, and make a profit at the expense of their employees.

 

[firemedic_30ca]

Ive actually just started an ambulance company and from everything ive looked at rural aras are going to get a major increase in payment. Ill give you a few figures i have worked out from my research. The average medicare payout for an ambulance transport (interfacility) is $300. At 4 calls a day, in just 5 days a week you are up to $6,000, $24,000 in a month. At a 85% payout which is pretty standard, you get about $265,000 a year from a vary low call volume. Thats just one ambulance at 20 calls a week. On average, ambulance companies make about $463,000 a year from each ambo on the road. So dont let them bull:censored::censored::censored::censored: you about how they arent making any money and cant afford better equipment or pay. If there was no profit in it, they wouldnt be doing it.

 

[looker]

Ive actually just started an ambulance company and from everything ive looked at rural aras are going to get a major increase in payment. Ill give you a few figures i have worked out from my research. The average medicare payout for an ambulance transport (interfacility) is $300. At 4 calls a day, in just 5 days a week you are up to $6,000, $24,000 in a month. At a 85% payout which is pretty standard, you get about $265,000 a year from a vary low call volume. Thats just one ambulance at 20 calls a week. On average, ambulance companies make about $463,000 a year from each ambo on the road. So dont let them bull:censored::censored::censored::censored: you about how they arent making any money and cant afford better equipment or pay. If there was no profit in it, they wouldnt be doing it.

Mine is actually averaging right now to $410 a trip...but each region is different. But you hit the nail on the head 100%, I also recently started the company after being in nemt for 10 years and i would not have gotten in to this business if it wasn't going to give me a lot of money. Unfortunately employees only know their side and have no clue on how fat the pocket of ambulance company is.

 

[NWParamedic]

Well our private EMS company states that since congress failed to renew the reimbursement to ems in rural and super rural areas we got a nice fat pay cut, to the tune of 13,000 a year. The bad thing is they told us if it is renewed the pay would go back up, but not as high. Anyone else felt the pinch yet?

The only likely culprit for a reduction in your companies revenues is the fact that increasingly our patient's ability to pay their bill has declined. As the american population continues to see a reduction in jobs and medical benefits, we are beginning to see a coorelation in the ability to pay the bill. So during this down economy, their has been no changes in re-imbursement, just the ability to pay the bill.