A resolution, if approved by the county Legislature, would authorize the county executive to enter into an agreement with Jamestown when the county provides advanced life support services and the city provides basic life support services. P-J file photo

Chautauqua County is expected to authorize an agreement between the city of Jamestown and the county regarding billing for emergency medical services.

The county Legislature’s Public Safety and Audit and Control committees both approved a resolution authorizing the county executive to enter into an agreement with Jamestown when the county provides advanced life support services and the city provides basic life support services.

County Emergency Services Director John Griffith explained the details during the Public Safety meeting. “This is an agreement that will allow, once the city of Jamestown begins to bill for their ambulance, a reimbursement on a 60-40 split for ALS charges coming back to the county of Chautauqua to pay for the ALS piece,” he said.

In a separate interview, Griffith explained that nasic life support staff can transport patients to a hospital for care. However, the advanced life support staff can treat a patient at the scene of one’s location. That happens, for example, when an individual has a heart attack.

“During a cardiac arrest, we can work in the individual’s home, instead of transporting them to the hospital (first),” he said. “There are people alive today in Chautauqua County because of our advanced life support.”

Griffith explained there are other situations where the ALS staff are trained and have the appropriate medical equipment to treat a patient at the scene. They also can communicate with a patient’s doctor from the scene, similarly what would take place in an emergency room.

Due to state regulations, when the ALS staff respond within a city, the county is not permitted to bill the patient directly, explained Griffith, which is why they need this contact with Jamestown.

Griffith said the agreement is nearly identical with an agreement the county has with the city of Dunkirk, which was put in place about a year and a half ago.

“It does allow for the reimbursement for ALS services provided by the county of Chautauqua and the city. That program is working out very well in the city of Dunkirk and I’m very confident it will work out very well with the city of Jamestown,” he said during the public safety meeting.

Griffith noted when the county provides ALS services in an ambulance transport in Jamestown, this agreement will allow the city to bill that as an advanced life services call, which bills at a higher rate than a basic life support call.

“The way the agreement works in both cities now is now whatever the city collects, they will submit 40% of those monies back to the county of Chautauqua to cover our piece and they will keep 60% to cover their piece of the operation for their ambulance and their staff and things like that,” he said.

Griffith said the money will be used to help offset the cost of the advanced life support intercept service which will allow for a fourth ALS unit fly car to be housed in Lakewood in 2021.

Griffith called the agreement a “really big deal” and thanked various county and Jamestown city officials for their efforts.

County Budget Director Kathleen Dennison said the projections in the budget expect two calls per day in the city of Jamestown, which would total $161,000 for the year.

“This has been a very long process,” explained Legislator Chuck Nazzaro, D-Jamestown during the Audit and Control Committee meeting. “I’m very glad this is coming forward at this time before the end of the year.”

The agreement will now go before the full legislature for final approval.