BLUE FOLDER ITEM
Blue folder items are additional back up material to administrative reports and/or public comments received after the printing and distribution of the agenda packet for receive and file.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
June 17, 2025
N.1 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A FIRE
DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FIRST RESPONDER FEE
DIRECT STAFF TO COMPLETE THE DRAFT AGREEMENT WITH WITTMAN ENTERPRISES, LLC. TO ADMINISTER THE NECESSARY BILLING SERVICES
ASSOCIATED WITH COLLECTION OF THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FEE AND
RETURN IN JULY WITH AN ITEM FOR CONSIDERATION OF AGREEMENT APPROVAL CONTACT: PATRICK BUTLER, FIRE CHIEF
• Proposed EMS First Responder Fee Overview
N.1 Proposed EMS First Responder Fee Overview
How many EMS calls does the fire department respond to every year? Approximately 7,000
Responding to EMS calls requires:
1. Advanced medical equipment (Auto Pulse, AEDs, defibrillators, airway kits)
2. Consumable supplies (oxygen masks, IVs, medications)
3. Constant training and recertification.
4. Personnel Costs
5. Medical Supplies and Equipment
6. Vehicle Operations
7. Administrative and Overhead Costs
8. Readiness and Infrastructure to provide EMS.
The $313 EMS First Responder Fee is designed to:
1. Ensure those who use the service help pay for it. (User Benefit)
2. Reduce the burden on the general fund and taxpayers who don’t use EMS services.
3. Property taxes are designed to cover fire suppression and rescue not EMS (Global Benefit)
4. Maintain high levels of service and rapid response without cutting other vital city programs.
How is a patient billed?
Wittman Enterprises LLC (Wittman) has access to electronic patient care report (EPCR) that is generated on all EMS calls with the patient’s name and billing address. Wittman then accesses that information through a secured HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant system and follows the steps below:
Typical billing schedule for patient with insurance.
1. Wittman sends an Initial letter to the patient requesting information from the patient and their insurance information.
2. Wittman sends an invoice to the insurance company requesting payment of $313.
3. Wittman then sends an invoice to the patient for the amount not covered by insurance.
Typical billing schedule for private pay when there is no insurance. 0 day – the account is created and the schedule is selected for billing. 1 day – the 1st Responder 1st Invoice is the first invoice that goes out to the patient 30 days – the 1st Responder 30 days is the second invoice that goes out to the patient 45 days – the 1st Responder Past Due is the third invoice that goes out to the patient 55 days – a phone call is made (if we have a phone number on file) 70 days – the 1st Responder Final is the fourth and last invoice that goes out to the patient 80 days – the event is now at Account Review
How is the City billed by Wittman?
Each month, Wittman bills the City a flat fee of $15 for every 911 EMS response it processes for billing— regardless of whether the fee is successfully collected. For example, if the Redondo Beach Fire Department (RBFD) responds to 1,000 EMS calls in a given month, Wittman will open an account for each of the 1,000 EMS calls and bill the city a flat fee of $15 for each account, totaling a monthly bill to the City of $15,000. Even if only 500 of those accounts result in successful recovery of the $313 EMS First Responder Fee, the City remains responsible for the full $15,000 processing cost. While Wittman may make multiple attempts to collect for a patient account, including phone calls, mailing invoices and other correspondences, the City only gets billed a flat fee of $15 for the account and not the additional work associated with collecting the fee by Wittman.
Note: Document is only a general overview and education of the process and may be amended.