Recently you may have heard in the news that local EMS agencies have been investigating a fee-for-service system also known as “Revenue Recovery”. The Harrisonburg Rescue Squad is involved in this and shares many of the concerns voiced by members of our community on beginning this system. As such, agency leaders have been deeply involved in the process to assure that our community will benefit from this program and that there will be as little impact as possible to our patients. We are placing some initial information here on this page. In the near future we will expand this to a larger FAQ and will be hosting information sessions at our station. Please keep an eye out for these events in the news and on this site. Also, please note that this system is a work in progress. We are answering these questions to the best of our ability at this time.
- Q: Will it cost me a lot of money if I am transported by the rescue squad? A: If you are a citizen of Harrisonburg or Rockingham county, or attend a school within that region, the system is being designed to prevent you from receiving a bill. We are investigating our ability to expand that to people who live in Augusta county as well through a reciprocal agreement.
- Q: What if I do not live in those three municipal areas? A: If we provide service to someone from outside our area, we will bill any available insurance prior to sending a bill to the patient. Should the insurance company deny the claim, or if there is a copay or deductible, the patient will be sent a series of invoices for the balance of their bill. We will have a hardship plan in place for those people outside our area who are able to document their inability to pay for services.
- Q: If I live in the area, will I receive anything regarding the bill? A: If we are unable to obtain your insurance information prior to billing, you may receive a phone call and/or letter in an attempt to collect your insurance information. Your insurance company will also likely send you an “EOB” or Explanation of Benefits which outlines the invoice they were sent.
- Q: If I do not have insurance will I receive a bill? A: Not if you live within the partnering municpal areas.
- Q: Would anyone ever be denied service based on inability to pay? A: Absolutely not. First, our purpose is and will continue to be to provide the best care we possibly can to every person who needs us. This is only a way to help fund that goal. Second, the crews who respond will not be concerned with the billing functions of the agency. They see a patient…a person in need of assistance…not an insurance claim.
- Q: Will you still be asking for donations and doing fundraisers? A: Yes. Our agency will remain a volunteer, non-profit, 501c3 designated agency. Revenue Recovery will provide a steady income which is at least somewhat reliable regardless of economic conditions at the time. However, it should be viewed as a supplement to the support we currently receive from the community, not a replacement. We will still rely on donations for many of our major purchases such as ambulances and other response vehicles.
- Q: What will you do with this new income? A: The biggest change we are likely to make is to increase the training opportunities available in the Shenandoah Valley. We will be able to host training in this area that typically we have to send people away to receive. For instance, did you know there is no Paramedic training available in the Shenandoah Valley? We routinely have members traveling several days per week to northern Virginia to take this course. We hope to work in conjunction with other training institutions in our area to develop new training programs here in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. There are also a number of excellent training programs that are not available in this region that we currently cannot afford to send our members or officers to attend. These courses would allow our agency to bring back what are termed “best practices” from agencies and teachers they would otherwise not have exposure to. Again, all in an effort to provide the best care possible to those we serve in our community.
If you have any questions, we have set up a special email address: billing@rescue40.org to address questions and concerns. Check back here often for updates and times for public information sessions at our station.
