HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 8970
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ORDINANCE NO . ~ g ~®
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 6-17 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY
OF FORT WORTH (1964), AS AMENDED, TO PERMIT A PROVIDER OF
AMBULANCE SERVICE TO CHARGE THE FULL AMOUNT FOR SERVICES
RENDERED TO EACH PATIENT IN SITUATIONS WHERE PATIENTS ARE
TRANSPORTED SIMULTANEOUSLY, SUBJECT TO THE MAXIMUM RATES
ESTABLISHED BY THE CITY COUNCIL; REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES
IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE;
DIRECTING THE CITY SECRETARY TO ENGROSS AND ENROLL THIS
ORDINANCE; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH,
TEXAS:
SECTION 1.
That Section 6-17 of Chapter 6 of the Code of the City of Fort
Worth (1964), as amended, is hereby amended to delete the second
paragraph of the aforesaid Section 6-17 and to substitute therefor
the following:
"Where patients are transported simultaneously, an
operator shall be permitted, at its discretion, to charge
each patient the full amount for services rendered such
patient, as if such patient were being transported alone;
provided, however, that in no event shall the charge to
any individual patient for any service rendered to such
patient exceed the maximum rate established for such ser-
vice established by the City Council in accordance with
this section. Where an operator permits a relative or
other person who is not a patient and receives no medical
treatment to be transported simultaneously with a patient,
no charge shall be made for transporting such person. To
the extent reasonably possible, when patients or persons
who receive medical treatment are transported simultane-
ously, the operator shall advise each of them in advance
that they will be charged a fee for service on an individ-
ual basis."
SECTION 2.
This ordinance shall be cumulative of all provisions of ordi-
nances and of the Code of the City of Fort Worth, Texas (1964), as
amended, except where the provisions of this ordinance are in direct
conflict with the provisions of such ordinances and such Code, in
which event conflicting provisions of such ordinances and such Code
are hereby repealed.
SECTION 3.
It is hereby declared to be the intention of the City Council
that the sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses and phrases of
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this ordinance are severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence,
paragraph or section of this ordinance shall be declared unconstitu-
tional by the valid judgment or decree of any court of competent
jurisdiction, such unconstitutionality shall not affect any of the
remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs and sections of
this ordinance, since the same would have been enacted by the City
Council without the incorporation in this ordinance of any such un-
constitutional phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph or section.
SECTION 4.
The City Secretary of the City of Fort Worth is hereby directed
to engross and enroll this ordinance by copying the caption and
Section 1 in the minutes of the City Council and by filing the ordi-
nance in the ordinance records of the City.
SECTION 5.
This ordinance shall take effect and be in full force and
effect from and after its passage, and it is so ordained.
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY:
City Attorney
Date: 11-~'~ -Y~3
ADOPTED : ~~ ~ ~,j ' 0 3
EFFECTIVE: ~l /5~l~.3
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CITY MANAGER 1 ~ ~\` Al ,~j ®~ _`L+W~ "// ~®LL/W~~L~C~ ~®~~(L/lV~~tV~N/lV~®~W
ACCOUNTING 2 ~ V/1/11 lu(~~ I~L1AV
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N~DATEC U ~~ REFERENCE SUBJECT
Amendment Of Section 6-17 PAGE
NUMBER ,
11/10/83 G- 5809 Code of the City of Fort Worth Iof 1
Chapter 6, Section 6-17, of the Code of the City of Fort Worth dealing with rates
to be charged patients for emergency medical services, reads in part "Total
charges for equivalent service shall be equally divided among those patients
transported simultaneously "
If the policy of dividing costs continues, Medicare officials have indicated
they will be forced to reduce the rate at which emergency ambulance service
is paid If this happens, there could be a significant impact on the revenue
collections of the contractor.
Since Daniel Emergency Medical Service (DEMS) is the major ambulance provider
in Tarrant County, the rates they charge determines to a great extent the amount
Medicare will pay for the service If Medicare rates are reduced, it would
take about eighteen months to increase them again Health insurance policies
that cover ambulance service will pay the full cost for the policyholder
Staff has checked with several cities and found that it is not an uncommon
policy to charge the full amount when more than one individual is transported
in the same ambulance
Medicare officials stated that it was their feeling that splitting one fee
among more than one patient was discriminatory and was unfair to the patient
who was a single occupant and had to pay the full rate
Recommendation
It is recommended that the following paragraph be substituted for that portion
of Section 6-17 quoted above
"Where patients are transported simultaneously, an operator
shall be permitted, at its discretion, to charge each patient
the full amount for services rendered such patient, as if such
patient were being transported alone, provided, however, that
in no event shall the charge to any individual patient for any
service rendered to such patient exceed the maximum rate esta-
blished for such service established by the City Council in
accordance with this section " ~ APPROVED BY
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CITY COUNCIL
NOV 15 1983
C~ ~taig o: tho
SUBMITTED FOR THE _
CITY MANAGER'S DISPOSITION BY COUNCIL. PROCESSED BY
(1FFICE BY ~,,L,Q ~ APPROVED
ORIGINATING Fred KelSh _ OTHER (DESCRIBE)
DEPARTMENT HEAD•
CITY SECRETARY
FOR ADDIiIONAI INFORMATION ^
CONTACT C L Carson Ext 61 0 s
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DATE