EMSA

[Turd_Ferguson]

I remember reading just a few years ago, that the city was talking about handing the ambulance services over to the Fire Dept. Now, I read this (http://www.newsok.com/emsa-service-may-be-added-to-oklahoma-city-water-bills/article/3326648?custom_click=headlines_widget).
EMSA service may be added to Oklahoma City water bills
HealthPrice would start at $3.65 a month



What say you?:pop:

[Mjcpr]

Tulsa does the same thing and it is about that same amount. It is sort of like ambulance insurance in that you don't pay if you or your family members at home need an ambulance called to the residence. If your health insurance will cover you or you don't want to participate, you are allowed to opt out.

I was never sure what to do so we just never opted out. I would assume an ambulance ride would be covered by my health insurance but who knows? I have never bothered to look.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

I was never sure what to do so we just never opted out. I would assume an ambulance ride would be covered by my health insurance but who knows? I have never bothered to look.

It is. And EMSA knows it. Yet they still charge insurance companies for your ambulance ride whether or not you've opted out of the voluntary water bill stipend. Essentially the 3 bucks and change in your water bill was an offset of subsidies the City of Tulsa had to provide EMSA from the general fund because of massive cost overruns on the order of four million dollars.

In other words, our EMS transport system is broken. The standard of care is one of the best in the nation, but the funding model is a sick joke. Because of such, our EMS transport agency (which is what they are, not co-responders or even first responders as Tina Wells would lead you to believe) is a bloated beast hellbent on self-preservation instead of focused on maintaining Tulsa and OKC as two of the top 5 EMS systems in the nation.

Here's a question. Why does EMSA insist on maintaining separate dispatch centers NOT as an issue of EMD certification or Dept. of Transportation mandate, but as a contract item with the City of Tulsa? Why is it the first response agency of the City of Tulsa, my beloved Tulsa Fire Department, is relegated to taking calls after filtration through EMSA dispatchers, after initial dispatch is made to the transport agency crew, and only upon EMSA sending such medical emergencies to the CoT's dispatch center via an antiquated line printer with just a little more than nothing in regards to patient complaint and any pre-arrival instructions that are taking place with the 911 caller? Why are these calls being "palmed" by EMSA dispatchers when DoT mandates coverage to ensure am 8:59 response time for EMS transport services when the Tulsa Fire Dept. has designed its strategic coverage to establish, at a MAXIMUM, a 4 minute response time from receipt of call to patient's side at a 35 mile per hour average travel speed?

The quicker the better in EMS care. Why demand protection via city contract your ability to respond almost 5 minutes SLOWER than your first reponse agency? Why have calls delayed as long as 6-7 minutes from receipt from EMSA dispatcher to Fire dispatcher? Why make a concerted effort to DELAY the response of the only sworn public safety officers defined by the City Charter that provide emergency care that as per the Strategic Plan study of 2006 are positioned and ready to respond in less than half the time you're able to as the designated transport agency? Why? Why as the ramp-up of ALS companies and personnel continues within the Tulsa Fire Department, does EMSA continue to hire a 'for profit' company in Paramedics Plus to staff its ambulances? Why does EMSA, a non-profit agency, continue to have such massive overhead to the tune of 4 million dollars OVER the existing millions provided in their budget tied in the Paramedics Plus contract and salaries within EMSA administration when all equipment, ambulances, staff vehicles, and maintenance thereof are all ALREADY owned lock, stock, and barrel by the City of Tulsa?

Why is it I have to still send notifications to my District and EMS Chiefs as to the sh*tty standard of care and ignorance of EMS protocol we run into seemingly on a per duty shift basis?

Tulsa, it's unacceptable. You're getting screwed, both financially and for the product you're paying for.

[/endrant]

[bri]

Plus, why the f*ck does EMSA need eight monitors at each of their calltaking/dispatch stations?