FMB Fire District to Have Same
Fee Schedule as County
(Mouse over image for caption, Click to enlarge)In an effort to make services more streamlined with Lee County's, the Fort Myers Beach Fire District will now charge for any calls resulting in medication being dispensed.
"We are going to start billing for Treat, No Transport calls,” said Chief Mike Becker. "For instance, if someone is a diabetic, and the paramedics give them dextrose and get their levels back to normal so they sign off on going to the hospital, we will bill them for the supplies and medication.”
By the same token, said the Chief, if no medications or supplies or used, then there will be no charge.
"If we go to a car wreck, and everyone seems fine and signs off, then there's no fee,” he said. "But if someone's got a broken arm and we splint it, then we will bill for the splint.”
Becker explained that the decision to start the new billing system was made by the District's Fire Commission Board several months ago in order to be identical to the one used by Lee County.
"They wanted the service to be seamless, so they decided to follow the same practices as the county,” he told us. "It took us awhile to work the bugs out, so the new fees went into effect February 1st.”
There are a couple of instances where the fees would not apply.
"If someone walks into the fire station with a stingray bite, and we take care of it and they walk away, then there's no charge,” Becker said. "But if they call 911, and we take an ambulance down through the traffic to Lynn Hall Park, sit there with them and treat it, then there's a charge.”
"Also, if we get a cardiac arrest call, go through all the medications but nothing works and they don't make it – typically those types of cases are MediCare, and we will get reimbursed by the government.”
Keri Hendry