New Brick EMS Fee Schedule Will Better Reimburse Township

A new fee schedule for the Brick Police EMS squad will better reimburse the township, officials say.

The new, higher fees have been introduced over the past two months by the township council and will soon be in effect for those who are transported by the township's paid EMTs, a division of the police department.

Previously, Mayor John Ducey said, a ride in a Brick Police EMS ambulance cost $650 even though Medicare – the insurer of the vast majority of those who need to be transported to a hospital by ambulance – will pay up to $800.

Likewise, Medicare pays $30 per mile but Brick charged just $10 per mile.

"We were missing out on a lot of money," Ducey said.

The updated fee schedule brings the township's EMS rates in line with Medicare's rates.

A long standing policy of the paid EMS service has been to send charges to a patient's insurance company as long as the patient does, indeed, have insurance. Patients without insurance were not billed. That same policy remains in effect with the new rates.

Ducey said the township will likely recoup an extra $85,000 from the initial fee, not including the mileage fee.

The township council introduced a companion ordinance establishing fees for epi pen usage at $150 to $200 and Narcan administration at $150.

The paid EMS squad was introduced in Brick after numbers began to decrease in the volunteer squads, though a unified Brick Volunteer EMS squad continues to operate in town. Ducey said there are no plans to increase the size of the paid EMS squad in light of the fee hikes.

"The numbers are what they are," said Ducey. "The chief hasn’t requested an expansion."