Saying EMS services in New York are in crisis, the New York State Association of Counties, with lawmakers and other advocates, have banded together for a campaign called Rescue EMS.
Frustrated that priorities outlined earlier this year weren’t included in the state budget, they are gearing up for a big late-session push next week to make progress on items that they say will help keep these organizations afloat.
Steven Kroll, chief and executive director of Delmar-Bethlehem EMS, said a top priority is legislation that would allow emergency services to treat patients in place, or transport them to treatment locations other than a hospital.
As of now, when it comes to medicaid enrollees, unless EMS organizations take a patient to the hospital, they don’t get paid.
“We have to buy fuel, replace equipment, buy new ambulances, pay better salaries to our employees,” he said. “You shouldn’t be paid zero for taking care of people in their homes that we don’t take to the hospital. At least pay us what you would pay us if we took them to the hospital.”
Kroll said that while many calls do require hospitalization, there are a variety of instances where a patient requires care that doesn’t rise to the level of a hospital visit.
“If you’re diabetic and your sugar has gone low, and you know it has gone low and it has happened before, and you don’t have a lot of other medical issues and we can get your sugar back where it needs to go, we can take care of you at home and then you can go see your doctor later,” he said.
Assemblymember Donna Lupardo, a driving force behind the effort, emphasized that with lengthy wait times in upstate hospitals and high Medicaid costs when people are transported there, the benefits would be significant should the bill pass.
“It’s creating a very big burden on our ambulances to stay fiscally viable, but also they are trying to reduce the number of people who are going to the emergency room who may not need that level of service,” she said.
Kroll said the benefits to patients are significant as well in the form of increased options for care.
“If you want to go to the hospital, we’re going to take you; if you want us to help you in your home, we’re going to try it. We can even talk to a doctor on telemedicine to get that doctor even to come into the home with us,” he said.
Also included in the package are bills that would deem EMS an essential service and create special taxing districts to assist organizations in obtaining resources, as well as property tax cap exemptions and other tax credits.