Woolwich EMS wants to begin charging patients for ambulance services other than hospital transports. The proposal will be discussed at a public hearing 6 p.m. Monday, March 16 in the municipal building. The change needs voter approval at the April 29 annual town meeting and would take effect July 1.

“These non-transport fees are needed to assist with calls that cost the town money but there is no opportunity for reimbursement from insurance agencies,” stated EMS Director Brian Carlton in an  email to Wiscasset Newspaper. “Also, it will assist with conversations with people that call 911 frequently that may need a different level of care,” he added.

There’d be no ambulance charge for the “first three non-transport calls to the same patient in any six-month period.” After that, a patient would be charged $75 per call. “On scene care” by ambulance personnel would result in a $75 charge, with “on scene care with medication” costing $150.

Carlton explained on scene care is when a patient is evaluated and treated but not transported to the hospital. “There are instances when we respond to 911 calls and use significant supplies, equipment and medications,” continued Carlton. As an example, an ambulance team might administer Naloxone to treat a drug overdose and have the patient refuse transport to a hospital leaving the ambulance department to absorb the cost. 

“Non-transport fees are something that many other agencies are implementing,” said Carlton. When he proposed the fee changes last fall, the selectboard sought the advice of town attorney Kristen Collins. “I do think this should be enacted as an ordinance,” wrote Collins in a December email to the town office. “However, it can be administered as a policy until there can be a town meeting to address it, unless there is already an ordinance in place that governs charges for EMT calls.”

Because the ambulance service is funded with tax dollars, the selectboard reasoned voters should decide whether or not to implement the new fees. “Rather than a policy change, we wanted to treat this as an ordinance and let the townspeople decide it,” said Chair David King Sr. Selectman Jason Shaw said that at last year’s town meeting, voters adopted an article levying charges for some fire department services.

“We’ll have an article at this year’s town meeting and the townspeople can hear from the EMS department why these new fees are being proposed,” he said. Shaw said besides the public hearing, they planned to publish the proposed changes on the town’s website. “We do our best to get the word out. My concern is with people who call for an ambulance not realizing they could be charged if they aren’t transported to the hospital.”

Because King will be away,  Selectman Dale Chadbourne will chair the hearing.

“The EMS director told us last fall our ambulance was called three or four times to the same address for the same individual and never made a transfer so we couldn’t charge them or their insurance carrier,” Chadbourne said. “They aren’t asking to charge a great deal, only to basically cover their costs.”