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• Approve a one-year pilot project contract with Tax Management Associates and <br /> authorize the Chair to sign the contract subject to final review and approval by staff and <br /> the County Attorney; <br /> • Direct the Manager and staff to move forward with Tax Management Associates to <br /> provide the business personal property process. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> f. Billing Services Agreement-Ambulance Service <br /> The Board considered directing staff to pursue the outsourcing of the initial billing and <br /> claims processing for EMS Ambulance Service transports by entering into a one-year Billing <br /> Services Agreement with EMS Management and Consultants, Inc., and authorizing the Chair <br /> to sign subject to final review and approval by staff and the County Attorney. <br /> Jo Roberson summarized this item. <br /> BACKGROUND: Since 1996, the Revenue Department has handled the billing and collection <br /> of EMS Ambulance Service transports. Prior to that time, there was no formal or uniform <br /> process in place for EMS billing. Since the outset of Revenue handling the billing, there has <br /> been one staff member (1.0 FTE) dedicated full-time to the process. Over the years, the <br /> department has improved its processes and procedures in order to handle the continuous <br /> growth in the number of transports while maintaining just one full-time dedicated staff member. <br /> Current files reflect that beginning with record keeping in Fiscal Year 1998-99, there were <br /> 5,001 billable transports. These transports totaled $1.4 million in actual levy. As of the close <br /> of Fiscal Year 2008-09 there were 6,757 billable transports totaling in excess of $3.1 million in <br /> actual levy. This represents a 35% increase in billable transports, and a 121% increase in <br /> actual levy dollars over this ten year period. With the additional Property Information <br /> Management System (PIMS) Project now beginning and with the reorganization of the Tax <br /> Assessor and Revenue Departments into one department, the time is right to approach claims <br /> management and redirect internal staff endeavors to collections. <br /> Staff has been very successful in claims processing, handling appeals on behalf of the public, <br /> and collecting accounts otherwise not paid. However, over the past two years billable <br /> transports have increased from 6,064 in Fiscal Year 2006-07 to 6,757 in Fiscal Year 2008-09, <br /> and staff has struggled to maintain the workload. The continued growth of transports, the <br /> increased complexity of claims processing, and the steps for appeals has grown into a <br /> process that has demanded the continuous attention of no less than the equivalent of one and <br /> three-quarter full time employees (1.75 FTEs). The total annual cost to manage this operation <br /> in-house is estimated at $124,570, which represents direct personnel costs, administrative <br /> overhead costs, and operational costs. (See detailed table below.) This has not taken into <br /> consideration any active collection endeavors. That process has been dealt with separately by <br /> the use of a Deputy Collector. The increased demand has placed an excessive burden on all <br /> staff within the Revenue office. <br /> During Summer 2009, staff issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) through the Asset <br /> Management and Purchasing Department for the outsourcing of the claims management and <br /> billing for Ambulance Service transports. After ensuring all applicable requirements were <br /> followed, staff recommends EMS Management and Consultants, Inc. as the vendor of choice. <br /> It is worth noting that this company is not a licensed collection agency but is a claims <br /> management company specializing in EMS Ambulance Service Billing only. <br />