Towns serviced by Peterborough’s ambulance service will not be asked to pick up Greenfield’s portion of the bill in 2019.
Peterborough Fire Chief Edmund Walker said Tuesday that the ambulance service is anticipating a total loss in revenue of about $100,000 from Greenfield’s decision to change service providers to Wilton Ambulance – a combination of the loss of revenue from the town’s annual bill and from billing patient transfers to hospitals.
“This represents less than six percent of our total ambulance revenue and we are expecting to be able to cover this loss through a combination of savings as well as our general increase in call volume,” Walker said in an email.
The town of Greenfield was on the hook to pay $78,100.51 for Peterborough’s ambulance service in 2019 – second in cost only to Peterborough’s share of the six towns covered by the ambulance service – but the town changed to Wilton’s ambulance service at the beginning of the year.
“There were no service issues. We have nothing but the highest regard for Peterborough’s ambulance service,” Greenfield Select Board chairman Robert Marshall said in December. “They have been an outstanding partner, but we had an opportunity to get a similar level of service for less money.”
Walker said the overall decrease in revenue for the ambulance service should be offset by an overall increase in call volume on both the ambulance and transfers side. Walker said a third or fourth crew might not have to be called in as frequently as well.
In 2018, Peterborough Fire and Rescue responded to 1,523 ambulance calls and 1,137 transfer requests – increases of 19.9 percent and 13 percent over last year.
“We are keeping a close eye on the costs, and how it’s related to revenue,” Walker said. “… the increase in overall demand is going to be offset.”
Walker said the ambulance service has recently adjusted its formula to determine how much needs to be raised collectively by the towns the ambulance service serves, as there has been a larger increase in the transfer side of the service compared to 911 calls.
Previously, the service utilized a formula that was 40 percent transfers, which patients pay for, and 60 percent 911 calls. That formula is shifting to a formula that is 45 percent transfers and 55 percent 911 calls.
“It will reduce the cost of the 911 service, which will reduce the burden,” Walker said.
The ambulance budget proposed for 2019-20 is $1,798,795, a 7.8 percent increase over last year’s approved total.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com.