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EMS Billing

The information below is offered to give residents a better understanding of EMS billing.

How EMS Billing Works
While treating and/or transporting patients, EMS and hospital personnel gather patient information and, if possible, ask the patient to sign a form authorizing disclosure of specific medical information protected by HIPAA privacy rules. This information is electronically submitted to a third-party billing service. They review the report to determine the appropriate fee for the transportation services provided. Once the fee is determined, a claim is submitted to the patient’s private or government insurance carrier.

What a Norwich Township Resident Can Expect
Residents are considered persons who live or work in the Norwich Township Fire Department service area, which includes unincorporated Norwich Township, the City of Hilliard, and Brown Township. Residents would not be billed for insurance co-pays or additional charges above the rate paid by their insurer. Residents may receive a letter requesting insurance information or verification, but they will not receive a bill even if they are uninsured.

What a Non-Resident Can Expect
Transport charges will be billed to a non-resident patient’s insurer in the same manner as a resident. However, non-residents will be billed for any unpaid balance not covered by the insurance carrier. If the non-resident is uninsured, they will be billed for the entire amount.

Norwich Township's third-party billing service is Optum Change Healthcare.

Optum Change Healthcare
EMS Billing Dept #781681
PO Box 78000
Detroit, MI  48278-1681
843-428-2553

 

Frequently Asked Questions

No. No one will be denied emergency medical service or transport for any reason. The medical treatment that a patient receives will not be changed in any way by an EMS billing program.
To verify your identity and prevent fraud. Because the Fire and EMS Department charges fees for service, ambulance crews are instructed to verify patient identity including name, social security number, birth date, home address and telephone number.
Yes, we understand that this is an inconvenience, but in order to ensure we have the approval to bill your insurance on your behalf, this information may be requested again if not properly obtained when the incident originally happened. Please complete, sign and mail to the address provided by the company requesting this important information. Currently our third party billing company is ChangeHealthcare. The phone number is 1-866-631-4551.
Sometime after your hospital visit, your insurance carrier will be billed for the transport. When your insurance carrier or Medicare pays the transport charges, you will receive an “Explanation of Benefits” form to notify you that the charges have been paid. That will be the end of the transaction for residents in Norwich Township Fire Department service area. In some cases, the third party billing service may not have the name of your insurer. In those cases, you may receive a letter asking you to provide this information. If you are a resident, you will NOT receive nor will you be expected to pay the bill yourself. Charges are assessed only if the patient is transported to a medical facility. If a patient receives medical attention, but is not transported, there is no charge for the service.
The cost of the transport would depend on the type of the service provided and the distance to the medical facility. For example, the charge for basic life support (BLS) transports will be less than the charge for advanced life support (ALS) transports. Our rates would be based on the reasonable and customary Medicare rates for our region and would be comparable to the rates of other departments in central Ohio.
No. If you are insured, you are already paying for this service. By state statute, EMS transport fees are included in your current premium. All private and government insurers already carry provisions to pay for EMS transport.
Norwich Township’s billing service provider will be instructed to practice “soft billing”. Once the Township’s billing service receives verification that you are not covered by insurance or Medicare, the billing process stops for Norwich Township residents. No bill will be sent and you will not be expected to pay the charges. Non-residents will be billed for any unpaid balance.
By statute, revenue raised by charging for EMS transports would be used for expenses associated with the “management, maintenance, and operation of the Township’s fire and EMS services” that are currently being paid by tax revenue in the Fire fund.
Contact the EMS Chief Lamar Sweigart at (614) 876-7694 or lamar_sweigart@norwichtownship.org with any questions.
EMS Billing Services and The Norwich Township Fire Department abide by a federally acquired Health Insurance Privacy Protection (HIPAA) Compliance Program that protects your health information.