On Wednesday, May 11, the Madison County Commission reacted to the recent issues involving the Madison County Emergency Medical Service (EMS).
Lisa Jordan, director of EMS, took to the podium to ask the commissioners to review the pay scale for EMS Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and paramedics, as Madison County is competing with other counties, which have higher pay rates; for example, Hamilton County has an hourly wage of $10.80, while Madison County has a pay rate of $10.45. Jordan informed the commissioners that a .50 cent pay raise would be sufficient and an incentive program could be put forth. Chairman Rick Davis abstained from voting or discussing any options with the pay rate, as his daughter works for Madison County EMS, but the commissioners unanimously agreed to raise the pay rate of the EMTs and paramedics.
Next, County Coordinator Allen Cherry discussed the contract with Intermedix, a company that has been doing the billing for EMS. Cherry expressed that, 18 months ago, the contract was signed and for the first six to eight months, revenue increased and the county had “a good relationship with the company's employees.” However, Cherry commented that in the more recent months, the company has been downsizing and the citizens of the county are all having issues with Intermedix's billing process. Jordan also mentioned that EMS is having difficulties with Intermedix's technology, as the equipment they provided are not holding enough information and often have software issues.
The commissioners voted unanimously to terminate the contract with Intermedix. In the meantime, EMS will still be able to bill electronically. There was talk among the commissioners and Jordan about looking at other companies or possibly doing billing in-house.