MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE NORTH FORK AMBULANCE HEALTH SERVICE DISTRICT
The Regular Monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the North Fork Ambulance Health Service District, located in the Counties of Delta, Montrose, and Gunnison, Colorado, was held at 110 E. Hotchkiss Ave, Hotchkiss, Colorado, on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m.
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA:
No additions to the agenda.
ROLL CALL:
Board members present: Dave Kreutz, Marcus Roeder, Peter Pruett, and Bonnie Eisenberg.
Dan Miller was not present.
Others present: Kathy Steckel, Diane Perry, Steve Simpson, Marie Stucker, Tanya Applegate, and Michelle Murray of Billing Solutions Inc.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE:
No conflict of interest.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
No public comment.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Minutes from the July 18, 2024 Regular Monthly Meeting were reviewed.
Bonnie Eisenberg made a motion that the minutes be approved as written. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.
REPORTS:
FINANCE REPORT:
Financials for July were presented and reviewed. No unusual expenditures in July.
Marcus Roeder made a motion to approve the financials for July. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.
APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATIONS:
Bonnie Eisenberg made a motion to approve the appropriations for July as presented. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.
DISTRICT CHIEF REPORT:
Kathy Steckel gave an overview of her report (see attached).
Kathy introduced Michelle Murray of Billing Solutions Inc. to those present.
Administration: Kathy is still working on the Strategic Plan.
Finance: We just received the reimbursement for the ambulance, which will show up in the August financials.
HR/PR: Kathy is almost finished surveying the crew, after which she will make appointments with each of the board members to get their input. The First Aid booth at the fair after the parade was not well attended, but we were there. We are planning for a North Fork Night Out in partnership with Hotchkiss Fire and the Hotchkiss PD. It will be the evening of September 6 and will involve games, free hot dogs, and ice cream. Board members are urged to attend.
OPERATION:
All radios have finally been dispersed to crew members.
PREVENTION:
Continuing public presentations and survey gathering. Talked to about 30 people at the Paonia Senior Center last week.
The Community Health Needs Assessment continues. On Monday, September 30, there will be a focus group meeting on the needs in the North Fork. We will be conducting a SWOT Analysis with the help of Jeff Moffat, our consultant. Board members are encouraged to attend this event also.
Also, the evening of September 30, we will be surveying the Spanish-speaking community. Jeff Moffat is making the arrangements for this event.
The Next50 Changing Aging grant was submitted. It is a request for $70,000 to help transition some of our older EMS staff into the Rides and CARES program, allowing our older staff to help older people in the community.
Still looking for a wheelchair van for the RIDES program, but the right one has not presented itself yet.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
New Billing Rates:
Michelle Murray from Billing Solutions Inc. was here to answer any questions that the board may have regarding billing rates. Some of the important information she imparted:
Medicare and Medicaid claims make up about 70-75% of our billing, so in that sense, it doesn’t matter what we charge, as we get what Medicare agrees to pay. However, it is important to have rates that are higher, in the hopes that Medicare will raise its rates in the future.
There is a law in Colorado that requires insurance companies to pay up to 300% of Medicare. Michelle thinks it is a good idea to bill at least twice the Medicare reimbursement rate, and her suggested rates are approximately that—rounded numbers rather than actual.
Michelle pointed out what she believed were the two most important tables in the monthly report on pages 4 and 5: the days in A/R and the table broken down by payer source. She went over these tables to help us understand them better.
Marcus Roeder made a motion to approve the rates as recommended by BSI, with the mileage staying at $23. The motion was seconded, and all were in favor.
The old rig is in Grand Junction today getting the decals removed. So far, we have not found a place to donate it. West Elk Mine might be interested, but Kathy and Steve will keep looking.
NEW BUSINESS:
No new business.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
North Fork Night Out: The evening of September 6, 2024
Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
Task Force Meeting: The afternoon of September 30, 2024
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further matters before the board, Dave Kreutz made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded. All were in favor.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:14 p.m.