RE: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry » Corpus Christi Caller-Times

[Guest guest]

......Rumor/wishful thinking........

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Re: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry »

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

 

I agree. Myself like many here have seen our share of abuse and fruad. Some done

on purpose, others by mistake. I am hopefull that this will cuase most it not

all of the trash companies to close. In Houston, I simply cannot count the

number of garbage so called EMS companies out there. I do very for the honest

and hard working people that will pay the price for the greed of company owners.

Anyone who knows me , knows how I feel about EMS owners, some are the best

people who could ever know, but most, well never mind. Maybe, and this will make

some people here mad, maybe some of the EMS factories will close. Theses schools

want young students in so they can mae money and once they are done at the

school, good luck getting a decent paying job. I have to drive 60 miles twice a

day just to earn a liveable wage. Amybe this is the start of something good for

EMS.

Lawrence Verrett

________________________________

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..

[Guest guest]

......Rumor/wishful thinking........

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Re: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry »

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

 

I agree. Myself like many here have seen our share of abuse and fruad. Some done

on purpose, others by mistake. I am hopefull that this will cuase most it not

all of the trash companies to close. In Houston, I simply cannot count the

number of garbage so called EMS companies out there. I do very for the honest

and hard working people that will pay the price for the greed of company owners.

Anyone who knows me , knows how I feel about EMS owners, some are the best

people who could ever know, but most, well never mind. Maybe, and this will make

some people here mad, maybe some of the EMS factories will close. Theses schools

want young students in so they can mae money and once they are done at the

school, good luck getting a decent paying job. I have to drive 60 miles twice a

day just to earn a liveable wage. Amybe this is the start of something good for

EMS.

Lawrence Verrett

________________________________

Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

..

[Guest guest]

I think that we all knew that it was just a matter of time. After all of the

raids that have occurred in Dallas over both the American owned and those that

were not should be a warning for all of those that want to try and make money

the wrong way. Does this " crackdown " by Medicare hurt the ones that don't try

and scam money from them, yes. However, out of the ones that you have talked

about, how many closed quickly? Was it the fly-by-night services?

There are several still in the DFW area that should be looked at and raided, and

the most are owned by foreigners. The majority of the non-emergency transport

companies in Dallas or that area are this way, with only a few owned by American

based companies, such as AMR, Medic 1, and a few others. Most of the rest have

either been closed or have closed, only to reopen under another name or by

another family member.

Give it time, and Medicare will be paying these without question and all of the

fly-by-night people will be back. The bad thing about many as you stated is

that there are EMTs that are out of work. However, for the most part all they

know is what they have learned at the fly-by-night company, so what kind of EMT

does this make them?

Wayne

> To: texasems-l

> From: ems_cougar@...

> Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2011 20:32:19 -0800

> Subject: Re: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry

» Corpus Christi Caller-Times

>

> The axe fell a few weeks ago. Before that it was bad, .....but the final cut

happened about 3 weeks ago.

>

> The entire industry has collapsed. Companies shutting doors left and right.

Streets flooded with unemployed EMT's.

>

> I saw it coming, but didn't expect the shut down this fast. When I started

transporting patients to and from the partial hospitals for psych....there were

maybe 10 companies transporting. Within 6 months, there were 60-70.

>

> Dialysis stopped paying, everyone went to psych, and the PHP's. When I started

with my EMS operation in 1999, there were about 105 providers in this entire

region. Today, there are over 400.

>

> I have seen a lot working with different companies. I have seen payments, kick

backs, even heard patients in waiting rooms complain that they didnt get their

check this month, and they were going to go find another service to ride with.

>

> I was ON an Americare unit out in the field when the FBI & the Treasury Dept,

and several other entities hit their office.

>

> The fraud has become insane. Something had to be done. Unfortunately....actual

qualified patients that rely on EMS transportation, are going to die. There will

be lawsuits, and court battles. Eventually the industry will rebound out of

necessity, but most companies will be gone.

>

> I give it about 2 years, before we see a resurgence of non emergent EMS

transports.

>

> Cougar!!

>

>

> I'll keep my Guns, my Freedom and my MONEY,

> You can keep the " CHANGE. "

>

>

>

>

>

> Subject: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry »

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

> To: texasems-l

> Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 8:12 PM

>

>

>

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>

> Ron

>

>

>

>

http://www.caller.com/news/2011/mar/01/ambulance-companies-say-medicare-bleeding\

-them/

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think that we all knew that it was just a matter of time. After all of the

raids that have occurred in Dallas over both the American owned and those that

were not should be a warning for all of those that want to try and make money

the wrong way. Does this " crackdown " by Medicare hurt the ones that don't try

and scam money from them, yes. However, out of the ones that you have talked

about, how many closed quickly? Was it the fly-by-night services?

There are several still in the DFW area that should be looked at and raided, and

the most are owned by foreigners. The majority of the non-emergency transport

companies in Dallas or that area are this way, with only a few owned by American

based companies, such as AMR, Medic 1, and a few others. Most of the rest have

either been closed or have closed, only to reopen under another name or by

another family member.

Give it time, and Medicare will be paying these without question and all of the

fly-by-night people will be back. The bad thing about many as you stated is

that there are EMTs that are out of work. However, for the most part all they

know is what they have learned at the fly-by-night company, so what kind of EMT

does this make them?

Wayne

> To: texasems-l

> From: ems_cougar@...

> Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2011 20:32:19 -0800

> Subject: Re: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry

» Corpus Christi Caller-Times

>

> The axe fell a few weeks ago. Before that it was bad, .....but the final cut

happened about 3 weeks ago.

>

> The entire industry has collapsed. Companies shutting doors left and right.

Streets flooded with unemployed EMT's.

>

> I saw it coming, but didn't expect the shut down this fast. When I started

transporting patients to and from the partial hospitals for psych....there were

maybe 10 companies transporting. Within 6 months, there were 60-70.

>

> Dialysis stopped paying, everyone went to psych, and the PHP's. When I started

with my EMS operation in 1999, there were about 105 providers in this entire

region. Today, there are over 400.

>

> I have seen a lot working with different companies. I have seen payments, kick

backs, even heard patients in waiting rooms complain that they didnt get their

check this month, and they were going to go find another service to ride with.

>

> I was ON an Americare unit out in the field when the FBI & the Treasury Dept,

and several other entities hit their office.

>

> The fraud has become insane. Something had to be done. Unfortunately....actual

qualified patients that rely on EMS transportation, are going to die. There will

be lawsuits, and court battles. Eventually the industry will rebound out of

necessity, but most companies will be gone.

>

> I give it about 2 years, before we see a resurgence of non emergent EMS

transports.

>

> Cougar!!

>

>

> I'll keep my Guns, my Freedom and my MONEY,

> You can keep the " CHANGE. "

>

>

>

>

>

> Subject: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry »

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

> To: texasems-l

> Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 8:12 PM

>

>

>

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>

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>

> Ron

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>

http://www.caller.com/news/2011/mar/01/ambulance-companies-say-medicare-bleeding\

-them/

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

OK, I will have to agree with you on most of what you have posted. However, it

all has to do with where these people went to school for their EMT training. Do

the majority of the " assembly line " type schools teach EMTs about the things you

mentioned? No, and if they do, it's the small paragraph that might be in the

book. I'm not aware of any program that does an EVOC type training, but there

may be some out there that do. If so, good for them. When I was teaching EMT

programs full-time, yes my students were taught about driving and things that

you have mentioned. They were taught that running lights and siren was a

privilege, not a right.

The program director is the one responsible for what new EMTs are taught and if

they don't care, nor the people that they have teaching in their programs, then

who will care. Most are taught just enough to pass the NR Exam.

One thing that we have to remember is that some of these people are trainable,

once we get them on the box, and can be molded into they kind of EMT we want

them to be. But, for those that don't know anything except for dialysis, they

are not being exposed to different type of calls. We know that for the most

part, not much changes on these type of calls, so they can write the same thing

every time they see the same pt.

I would have to ask, what the Houston area programs are teaching either students

about driving or EMT training in general, or if they are just in it for the

money and to heck with the students, like some of the non-emergency transport

providers.

Wayne

> To: texasems-l

> From: ems_cougar@...

> Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2011 20:23:17 -0800

> Subject: RE: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry

» Corpus Christi Caller-Times

>

> Hmmmm...how do I answer this one.....I guess with just my honest feelings.

>

> 90% of the EMT's I meet today, I do not consider them EMT's. They have no

experience beyond transporting dialysis patients, writing down a B/P off otf the

machine, maybe a pulse ox reading or a d-stick, and trained on how to write a

good narrative. That's about it.

> Run across an accident with people lying in the road that need medical

attention, I'd say 90% of the EMT's in Houston would freeze. They know nothing

about triage on a workable level, Never even HEARD of WMD,, would have NO clue

as to how to use the ERG book that is on the unit, have NO idea as to how to

actually drive an EMS unit....

>

> I mean, what does it take to get an Emergency Ambulance Driver's Permit, in

the city of Houston?

>

> Be a certified EMT (which contains NO driver education WHATSOEVER) Not been

convicted of a Felony in the past 7 years, have a half way decent driving

record, and 40.00 (oops....that just went up to 120.00) in your

pocket......thats IT.

>

> WHO teaches today's EMT's 8 second lane changes, buffer spaces between you and

the vehicle in front of you, braking and acceleration techniques, Watching the

roadway ahead, and second guessing sudden stops, Keeping the truck bed level,

even during code 3 transport? No one. No one teaches that to today's EMT's.

>

> Youngster EMTs gripe at me because I don't drive 20 MPH over the speed limit

at all times, even in non emergent transports, like they do. They have NO clue

what " center of gravity " even means, they want to drive the ambulance like it is

a corvette. (the people in the back suffer because of this, and in a wreck,

guess who usually dies....the medic.)

>

> The ENTIRE system needs to be re-worked about training, and EVOC needs to be

done as part of the EMT Basic training.

>

> Ok....that is my rant, I will step off the soap box now. As far as fraud

within the current companies go,......I welcome this crack down on the industry.

It hurts me, and my friends that do not deserve it, but the situation is out of

control, and is something that needs to be done. The good medics will survive.

>

> Cougar!!

>

>

>

> I'll keep my Guns, my Freedom and my MONEY,

> You can keep the " CHANGE. "

>

>

>

>

> >

>

> >

>

> > Subject: Ambulance companies say Medicare bleeding them dry »

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

>

> > To: texasems-l

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> > Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 8:12 PM

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> > Ron

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http://www.caller.com/news/2011/mar/01/ambulance-companies-say-medicare-bleeding\

-them/

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