Published Jan. 16 in the Nicholas Countian

Discussions continue on monetary issues regarding Nicholas ambulance service operation

Nicholas Countian

CARLISLE — Nicholas County Judge Executive Larry Tincher met with representatives of AER (American Emergency Resources), contract operator of the Nicholas County Ambulance Service, last Thursday afternoon (January 9) to discuss problems and concerns related to the service since it began its contract last year. The ambulance service company, based in northern Kentucky, was represented in the meeting with Judge Executive Tincher and Robertson County Judge Executive Bradley Gifford by its chief executive officer and medical director, Dr. Tony Albano, Operations Director Andy Wartman, also from northern Kentucky, and legal counsel.

Nicholas County Clerk Doug Fryman and County Treasurer Wanda Dotson also participated in the meeting, as did Kristy Hagen, local operations director of the ambulance service. Nicholas County Attorney Dawn Curran Letcher was scheduled to be a participant, but was not present due to a death in the family.

Dr. Albano and Wart-man requested an additional $60,000 in subsidies from the Nicholas County Fiscal Court. According to Judge Executive Tincher, the AER officials acknowledged that the company had under-bid when it won the contract last year and claimed that it costs approximately $300,000 to operate the service in Nicholas County and portions of Robertson County.

According to the judge executive, the AER representatives said that, in typical three-month period, they might receive only $50,000 of $155,000 billed for service. Tincher told The Nicholas Countian & Carlisle Mercury they probably should receive between 60 and 75 percent of the total billed, after Medicaid and other allowances are factored into the billing.

Tincher said that, after almost one and half hours of discussion, the meeting was ended with the understanding that the county needs more information about the company’s billing procedures and overall operations before the fiscal court can consider increasing its subsidy of the operation, which is currently $48,000.
A special joint meeting of the Nicholas County Fiscal Court and the Robertson County Fiscal Court has been called for Thursday evening, January 23, in the Nicholas County courthouse. Discussion of the ambulance service providers and the service provided by them is the only item on the called meeting of the two bodies.

A major point of contention may be AER’s demand, on at least one occasion, for payment up front for the transfer of a patient from Nicholas County Hospital to another medical facility. In response to a question from The Nicholas Countian & Carlisle Mercury, Johnson Mathers Health Care Chief Executive Officer and Administrator Doris Ecton said earlier this week that had happened once, but acknowledged that whether such a demand might be made again remains an un-known, because there there had been no further need of such service.

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