201 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Suite 300
Anaheim, CA 92805
Tel: (714) 765-4000
www.anaheim.net
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
FIRE & RESCUE DEPARTMENT
DATE: MAY 13, 2025
FROM: FIRE & RESCUE DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF FIRST AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT WITH
PREHOSPITAL MED LLC FOR PHYSICIAN SUPERVISOR
SERVICES
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 19
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: YES
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council, by Motion:
1) Approve the First Amendment to the Agreement with Prehospital Med LLC, extending the original agreement for one (1) additional one-year term and increasing the annual compensation to $48,200 for physician supervisor services; and,
2) Authorize the Fire Chief, or designees, on behalf of the City of Anaheim (Anaheim), to execute the First Amendment and any related documents.
DISCUSSION:
The Anaheim Fire & Rescue Department (Anaheim Fire & Rescue) provides emergency medical services (EMS) through a variety of positions that require an Emergency Medical Technician license for Basic Life Support and/or a Paramedic license for Advanced Life Support calls for service. The California Code of Regulations, Title 22, defines the scope of practice for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics, and delegates the administration of practice to the Local EMS Agency, which determines what the local standard of medical care shall be. Standardized medical treatment protocols are developed to guide EMS personnel in their delegated practice. The Local EMS Agency (Orange County Health Care Agency) requires providers agencies like Anaheim Fire & Rescue to have their own Medical Director (Physician Supervisor) to perform EMS within the County of Orange.
The Physician Supervisor is a California Board Certified medical doctor and EMS physician who provides medical oversight that guides Anaheim Fire & Rescue’s policies and procedures, quality improvement, training, protocol development, and medical equipment acquisition and use. The Physician Supervisor also provides leadership in representing the City of Anaheim and Anaheim Fire & Rescue within the medical community as well. The Physician Supervisor serves as a liaison and advocates for the City of Anaheim and Anaheim Fire & Rescue with outside regulatory agencies such as First Amendment to Agreement with Prehospital Med LLC for Physician Supervisor Services May 13, 2025
the State of California, County of Orange, regional EMS meetings, along with providing support for innovative healthcare response units such as Anaheim Fire & Rescue’s Community Care Response Unit (CCRU).
The City of Anaheim currently contracts with Prehospital Med LLC, whose principal, Dr. Robert Katzer, M.D., is a California Board-certified medical doctor and EMS physician. Dr. Robert Katzer, M.D., is double board-certified in both Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. He is an Emergency Department Physician at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Medical Center, Professor of Emergency Medicine at UCI School of Medicine, and is a published author related to emergency medical services. He is also the Lead Physician at Anaheim Ducks NHL games, Medical Director for the Honda Center, and Flight Physician for San Bernardino County Sheriff Air Rescue.
The original agreement, effective May 23, 2021, provided for an initial one-year term with up to three one-year extensions. During the past four years, Prehospital Med LLC has met and fulfilled all contractual obligations and requirements for Anaheim Fire & Rescue. Prehospital Med LLC has kept Anaheim Fire & Rescue updated on new EMS trends and regulatory requirements, while working collaboratively to provide quality assurance related to our training, compliance with regional and state protocols, and overall delivery of EMS in support of the community.
The First Amendment to the agreement with Prehospital Med LLC will extend the term for one additional year (May 23, 2025 – May 22, 2026) and increase the annual compensation from $41,000 to $48,200 per year. The additional one-year term will provide Anaheim Fire & Rescue with additional time to conduct a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process with the goal of entering a new multi-year agreement prior to May 22, 2026. The additional compensation is intended to right-size the level of services provided over the past four years, where the compensation was $41,000 per year and included no annual increases.
To establish a comparison and determine if the proposed compensation of $48,200 for the proposed one-year extension is fair and reasonable for the City of Anaheim, staff reviewed two regional staff reports for EMS Medical Director services. At their March 28, 2023 City Council meeting, Glendale, CA awarded a five-year agreement for EMS Medical Director Services to Dr. Angelica Loza-Gomez, M.D. for $49,920 for the first year, increasing 3% each year for the duration of the five-year agreement. At their September 12, 2023 City Council meeting, Chula Vista, CA awarded a five-year agreement to the University of California, San Diego, Department of Emergency Medicine for $108,000 per year. Based on this research, staff believe the proposed one- year extension for $48,200 with Prehospital Med LLC is fair and reasonable.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
Sufficient funds are available in Anaheim Fire & Rescue’s Fiscal Year 2024/25 General Fund Budget, and future years will be subject to the City Council’s approval of budget appropriations.
First Amendment to Agreement with Prehospital Med LLC for Physician Supervisor Services May 13, 2025
Respectfully submitted,
Patrick Russell
Fire Chief
Attachment:
1. First Amendment to Agreement with Prehospital Med LLC
2. Original Agreement with extension letters