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Ordinance 94-44 ORDINANCE NO. 94- 4 4 AN ORDINANCE TO BE KNOWN AS THE BILLING AND COl I FCTION PROCEDURE FOR COLUER COUNTY-PROVIDED, AMBULANCE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES; PROVIDING FOR RNDINGS AND PURPOSE; PROVIDING FOB,, APPUCABIMTY; PROVIDING FOR RATES, FEES, AND CHARGES~ _. PROVIDING FOR BILUNG AND COLLECTION PROCEDURES, -" ,_,, -T . INCLUDING REMOVAL OF PAST DUE ACCOUNTS PROM ACTIVE~ ACCOUNTS RECBVABLE; PROVIDING FOR MEDICAID BILLINGS; -~ u ' . PROVIDING FOR MEDICARE BILLINGS AND OTHER THIRD PARTY BILLINGS; PROVIDING FOR ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PAYMENT; PROVIDING CIVIL ACTION PROCEDURES; REPEALING ~ u-~ IN PART PREVIOUSLYADOFTED ORDINANCES/RESOLUTIONS; ~, ..r- PROVIDING FOR CONFUCT AND S~ILri'Y; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTNE DATE WHEREAS, the Colller County Board of County Commissioners (hereinafter sometimes referred to as 'the Board') provides ambulance and emergency medical services through its Department of Emergency Medical Services (herelnafter sometimes referred to as 'EMS') to the citizens and visitors of Collier County;, and WHEREAS, the annuat EMS operating budget is funded exclusiveh/through ad valorera taxes and user fees; and WHEREAS, the Board has resoh/ed that it Is appropriate that the users of such services pay for the services provided in accordance with an establlshed rate schedule; and WHEREAS, it Is necessary to establish a billing and coliectJon procedure to assure payment of senAce charges; and WHEREAS, it Is In fie Interest of the cffizens of Collier County that consistency be provided for in the application of these procedures to the publio. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA, that: ,oo, q67 254 1 SECTION ONE: RNDING8 AND PURPOSE Pursuant to Section 125.01 (1)(e), Rodda Statues, the Board of County Commissioners of Collier County, Rodda finds that It is empowered to provide ambulance and emergency medical services. In recognition of said findings, it is the purpose of this Ordinance to create a common billing and cofiection procedure for County-provided ambulance and emergency medical lentices. SECTION TWO:. TTTLE AND CITATION Thls Ordinance shall be known and may be cited as the 'Billlng and Collection Procedure for Comer County-Provided Ambulance and Emergency MedicaJ Services Ordinance", SECTION THREF_: APPLICABILITY This Ordinance shall apply to services provided In the Incorporated and unlncorporated sreas of Comer County. SECTION FOUR: RATES. FEES AND CHARGE~ The Board of County Commissioners shall establish, by Resolution, the rates, fees and cha~ges for ambulance and EMS services. Such rates, fees and charges may also be waived by Resolution provided that a valid pubWlc purpose Is astabllshed. SECTION FIVE: BILJJNG AND COLLECTION PROCEDURE The following shall be the procedure for billing and collection of Collier County-provided EMS ambulance servlce fees and charges. a. Initial fees and charges for EMS ambulance saUce(s) shall be assessed either pdor to or following the sen~!ce provision, as service dynamics reasonably permit Unpaid fees and charges, subsequent to lime of service, shall be reflected in an accounts receivable subsidiary ledger system to be maintained by EMS or a designated Billing Department. For purposes of this Ordinance, the designated BIlling Department shall be determined by the Board ,','.: 255 of County Commissioners or the County Administrator of Collier County, Rodda. b. An Initial bill for previously assessed but unpaid fees and charges shall be sent wfthln thirty (30) days after service Is provided to: 1. The service recipient or responsible party Insurance carrier, provtded that appropriate Insurance Information Is made evaliable to EMS or the Billing Department. EMS or the Billing Department shall accept the Insurance payment. Upon receipt of the insurance payment, the service recipient or responsible party shall be billed directly for any unpaid balance due. 2. In the event that the service reclplent or responsible party does not have or does not provide proof of Insurance coverage, the bill for E'MS ambulance service(s) shall be sent directly to the service recipient or responsible party for payment. c. If the Initial bill Is not paid by the service reclplent or responsible party insurance carTier within forty-five (45) days from the Initial billing date, then the bill shall be sent directly to the service recipient or responsible party for payment In full. A reasonable and customary payment plan will be made available for all service recipients or responsible party. EMS or the Billing Department shall establish and admlnlster the payment plan. Should the service recipient or responsible party at any Ume fall to meet the terms and conditions of the established payment plan, then the unpaid balance shall be administered in accordance with paragraph(s) d,e,f,g of this section and/or Section Nine of this Ordlnanca. d. If the initial bill is dallnquent and not paid by the service recipient or responsible party Insurance carrier or the service reclplent or responsible party directly within sixty (60) days from the Initial bllllng date or a payment plan is not established and active, a 'past due' notice shall be sent to the service recipient or responsible party. ' e. If the Initial bill for EMS ambulance service(s) Is delinquent and not paid within seventy-flve (75'/days from the Inltlal bllllng date or a payment plan Is not established and active, a second 'past due' notice shall be sent to the service recipient or responsible party. f. If the Initial bill for EMS ambulance service(s} is delinquent and not paid within ninety (90} days from the inltlal billlng dBte or a payment plan Is not established and active, a final 'past due' notice shall be sent to the servtce recipient or responsible party. This notice shall also specify that this account must be paid within ten (10) days of receipt In order to avoid this account being considered ior other collection alternatives to 'effect payment of the outstanding balance due on the account. g. When EMS ambulance service bill(s), at any stage In this billing and ccliection procedure, are returned because the Postal Service cannot effectuate deFtvery, EMS or the Billing Department shall make a reasonable effort to ascertain the correct mailing address. If reasonable efforts to ascedaln a correct address fall, fie account(s) may be considered for other collection alternatives. h. Nothing contained In this section shaft preclude reasonable telephone or other appropriate contact for billing and collection purposes, In accordance with all applicable laws. I. At the end of each fiscal year, EMS or the Billing Department shall review all past due accounts and report to the Board of County Commissioners, all past due accounts which are believed to be uncollectible. The Board shall, after revlewlng these past due accounts and after finding that diligent eftode at collection have proven unsuccessful, remove these past due accounts from active accounts receivable In accordance with generally accepted accounting procedures and pursuant to law by Resolution. Colllor County does not waive any dghts it may have to collect any of the above-referenced accounts receivable should the County become aware of additional Information allowing collection prior to the expiration of the statue of limltatlons. 4 sL=crlQN s'De MEDICAID BILLINGS EMS or the Bllllng Department shall blli the State of Rortda Medlcald program for those Medlcald efigible EMS ambulance service reclplents In accordance with applicable Medlcaid rules. SFCT1ON SEVEN: MEDICARF BILLINGS AND OTHER THIBD PARTY I~ILLING~ EMS or the B[liJng Deparb'nent shall bill Medlcare and Medlc~d for eligible I:MS ambulanca sen/ice recipients in accordance with applicable Medlcaro and Medicaid rules. EMS or the Billing Department shall accept the payment assignment. Other third' party billing assignments shall be accepted with the unpaid difference, If any', remafnlng the responsibility of the service recipient or responsible party. Any uncoilacted accounts receivable shall be itdmlnJstered In accordance with Section Five, "1" of this Ordinance. SECT1ON EIGHT: ALTERNATIVE METHODS DF PAYMENT EMS or the Billing Department may' accept credit card payment for EM~ ambulance service(s). Specific credit cards accepted shall be limlted to those for which sen/Ice contracts SECTION NINE: CrV1L ACTION PROCEDURES EMS or the Billing Department may' file clvtl action in Collier County Small Claims Court, when appropriate, in order to pursue I:}ay'ment of charges and lees previously' assessed by Coliler County but remain uncollected. Such su~ts shall be filed In the name of Celllot County. SECT]ON TEN: REPEAL IN PART OF COUNTY OBDINANCE'S/I'IESOLLITIONS Upon adoption of this Ordinance, Coltlet County Ordinance No. I}1-48, as amended, which established a billing end collection procedure for ell health related services provided In Collier County including lhose of Collier County Emergency Medical Services and the HFiSo Collier County Public Health Department is hereby' repealed only' and exclusively with respect to ColTier County Department of Emergency Medical Services. All provisions of Collier County Ordinance No. 91-46, as amended, governing the billing and collection procedures of HRS- Collier County Public Health Department shall remain in full force and effect. Upon adoption of thls Ordinance, Collier County Resolution No. 93-563, and all resolutions regarding billing and collection procedures for health-related services provided by Colliar County Emergency Medical Services within Collier County are hereby repealed and superseded from the effecth,,e date of this Ordinance. SECTION ELEVEN: CONFLICT AND SEVERABILITY In the event this Ordinance conflicts with any other ordinance of Collier County or other appllce. ble law, the more restrictive shaft apph/. If any phrase or portion of the Ordinance is held Invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent Jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct and Independent provision and such holding shall not affect the va~dity of the remaining portion. SECTION TWELVE: EFFECTTVE DATE This Ordinance shaft take effect on October t, 1994. PASSED AND DULY ADO; by the Board of County Commissloners of Collier County, Rodde, this/3 day of ~ ,1994. - / .-'~TTEST: : . ,/,~, ' · ,~'.::. , -.. _ HAR AN · ::. '-...,.~ .::. :.... legal sufficiency:, This ~n,ar~, fll~ with the Assistant County Attorney f G%'.,-259 STATE OF FLORIDA COUNTY OF COLLIER I, DWIGHT E. BROCK, Clerk of Courts in and for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, Collier County, Florida, do hereby certify that the foregoing Js a true copy of: Ordinance No. g4-44 which was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on the 13th day of September, 1994, during Regular Session. WITNESS my hand and the official seal of the.Board of County Commissioners of Collier County, Florida, this 15th day of September, 1994. · ~... DWIGHT E. BROCK ': '.' Clerk of Courts and Clerk"' Ex-officlo to Board of By;/s/Maureen Kenyon . · Deputy Clerk '~ PZ!/..' '