Board OKs Ambulance Rate Increase : Emergency care: The firms say the hike is needed to keep pace with equipment upgrades and insurance costs.

The Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to allow the county’s three ambulance operators to hike their rates, but immediately called for a review of emergency services in an effort to drive down costs.

The supervisors voted 3 to 1 to allow the firms--Gold Coast Ambulance Service Inc., Pruner Health Services Inc. and Ojai Ambulance Service--to raise their fees, which will boost revenues by 13%. The added revenues are needed to keep pace with the rising costs of salaries, equipment upgrades, and health and liability insurance, the ambulance operators said.

But while approving the rate increase, with Supervisor Maria VanderKolk absent, supervisors said they want to re-examine emergency services, including a review of a longstanding proposal to allow county firefighters to provide paramedic service.

“I think that has to be really examined today,” said Supervisor John Flynn, adding that he wants to know whether the county can provide the same services for less money. “The times call for change. It seems like the way we do things now is awfully inefficient.”

The three ambulance companies provide emergency and non-emergency service to cities and unincorporated areas throughout the county. They are regulated by the county, and rate increases are subject to approval by supervisors.

Under the fee schedule adopted Tuesday, the per-trip rate for emergency transportation will increase from $256 to $296.75, with non-emergency transportation going from $193 to $240.

The board last approved an increase in December, 1990, when fees rose 10%.

A handful of residents were on hand to protest the rate hikes, which will go into effect immediately.

“How anyone can come and ask for an increase at this time is unbelievable,” Camarillo resident Sanford Okum said. “Rates should be going down, not up, in our economy today.”

Moorpark resident Scott Dettorre, a county firefighter, urged the board to look into establishing its own paramedic program.

“Maybe we need to have the fire district make a bid to provide a lot of these functions,” he said. “This could generate millions of dollars each year while giving our citizens a lesser cost.”

Supervisor Maggie Kildee voted against the increase, saying: “At a time when we’re asking county departments to cut back, I can’t support this.”

But board member Vicky Howard said she thought it necessary to support the increase as part of examining the county’s response to medical emergencies.

“If we are going to go forward . . . I think we need to have realistic numbers to work with,” she said.

County officials have examined the issue before.

Because county firefighters routinely respond to medical emergencies before ambulance companies, members of the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Assn. have argued for years that firetrucks should be staffed with paramedics.

Earlier this year, supervisors decided against training firefighters as paramedics, following the recommendations of a report by county health and fire officials that concluded that there was not enough medical justification to warrant the costly training procedure.

“We’ve been stonewalled all along,” said Ken Maffei, president of the 400-member union. “The way I look at it, we already have a work force in place, we have a majority of the resources in place and the public is screaming for government to do more with less money.”

But ambulance operators counter that their service has proven over time to be the best and most efficient service money can buy.

“I think that taking a look at the issue, in and of itself, from an open-minded position is fine,” said Steve Murphy, chief administrative officer of Thousand Oaks-based Pruner Health Services. “We have participated in the evaluation of our service and the emergency response system as a whole and we will continue to participate as a provider within the system.”

Added Peter Morton, vice president of Oxnard-based Gold Coast: “They want to be fully armed with all the facts before making a decision. All they are doing is what people elected them to do.”

Fees for Ambulance Services

Service Old rate New rate Emergency transportation $256.00 $296.75 Non-emergency transportation $193.00 $240.00 Charge per mile to the hospital $9.90 $10.75 Oxygen $30.00 $45.00

Source: Ventura County Health Care Agency