how much trouble can this ambulance company get in?

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catchmeifucan

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I currently just left my job because of its unprofessionalism. I was working for a BLS Ambulance company in San Diego CA. I am wondering what would happen if word got out that they were occasionally using NON EMT'S to run calls. Its a BLS company. To and from dialysis and some calls from hospital back home or to other facilities. Let me know what you think.
 
I think vengence is a very bad motivation to prompt any course of action.

Learn from the experience, move on.
 
They probably know the edge of the law and skirt it. If so moved, send a note to your local EMSA, but unless it is causing harm, there will be no action. And you could be sued.
 
Using NON EMT's to run calls?

I currently just left my job because of its unprofessionalism. I was working for a BLS Ambulance company in San Diego CA. I am wondering what would happen if word got out that they were occasionally using NON EMT'S to run calls. Its a BLS company. To and from dialysis and some calls from hospital back home or to other facilities. Is this okay?
 
Like Vene said in your OTHER thread, move on, vengeance will do nothing. Learn from the past, and find a better company next time.
 
In the past, I have seen companies use ambulances and transport people on cots, yet bill it as wheel chair transport because they had ambulatory patients who required transport but no dedicated wheelchair resources.

I again urge you to tread carefully.
 
Okay thank you. Im not going to pursue anything but always wondered what if something did happen? That non emt would be so clueless.
 
The ambulance company might be BLS but how are these trucks in question licensed with the county? A BLS company can also have lower level tranport trucks with the non emergency ticket on them. There are a lot of dialysis transportation services in that area so this company may just be trying to stay competitive. With cutbacks in all areas I think it is only reasonable to provide this type of service. An EMT is not really not that much more educated in dialysis patients and can not do much more than CPR either.
 
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I am sure they looked into the county/parish contract that oversees them and made sure it was allowed by the statute, unless they are just completely arrogant.

Best piece of advice I can give you from personal experience is not to go burning bridges, you never know when you might need something from that company in the future.

"He went to the state board of EMS about xx" is not going to look good to ANY company you try to get hired with. And I can assure you, that operations manager is likely friends and talks on a regular basis to other people in the same line of work.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Duplicate threads merged and relocated to appropriate forum.
 
Veneficus said:
In the past, I have seen companies use ambulances and transport people on cots, yet bill it as wheel chair transport because they had ambulatory patients who required transport but no dedicated wheelchair resources.

I again urge you to tread carefully.
Click to expand...

We've had to do that before because of weather. The roads got nasty and the WC vans couldn't handle it, so they had to do all the transports with ambs.

To the OP, I agree that your company is probably just on this side of legal. In some areas there are so many small IFT companies that they will throw each other under the bus in order to get more contracts. I doubt your company would do something so blatantly obvious that the other companies in town could report them for it.
 
Syk said:
I am sure they looked into the county/parish contract that oversees them and made sure it was allowed by the statute, unless they are just completely arrogant.

Best piece of advice I can give you from personal experience is not to go burning bridges, you never know when you might need something from that company in the future.

"He went to the state board of EMS about xx" is not going to look good to ANY company you try to get hired with. And I can assure you, that operations manager is likely friends and talks on a regular basis to other people in the same line of work.[/QUO


The company consists of 4 employees. Its very understaffed and if called to go somewhere and cant find anyone who is available, they grab who they can.
Click to expand...
 
All I'll say is emergency medicine is a very, very small world.
 
Interesting.

I'll echo the earlier advice. Don't go burning bridges if you don't need to.

As for the law... they PROBABLY are being legal about it. If not, then CMS WILL catch them sooner or later - and they'll bankrupt them for it.
 
There are couple of issue that I can see. In California to driven an ambulance you need to have amb license. I assume ambulance lights were not covered so they were driving an emergency vehicle. For that they could get in trouble if they were to get pulled over. Otherwise nothing will happen to them. Next the billing, if they billed medicare it's fraud. If on other hand they build as wc van they are probably okay. Overall there is not much will happen if reported, so move on.
 
Lots of companies will run calls BLS but will bill as gurney. Don't be surprised.
 
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