DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. – Douglas County says 34% of emergency room work does not involve transportation. In other words, it is quite common for ambulances to come to homes without taking the patient to the hospital.

For the first time, Douglas County is considering charging for ambulance rides in which a patient is evaluated and treated but not taken to the hospital.

“We give Glucagon and it costs $200, which we can’t recoup because we can’t bill,” says Fire Chief/EMS Deputy Stacie Farmer.

Douglas County Fire and EMS is proposing to charge a $100 response fee. Some regions charge for such services, while others do not.

Even if the ambulance is part of the emergency response and provides advanced care at the scene, the patient will not be billed unless transported to the emergency room, Gwinnett County said.

Cobb County said it does not charge patients any fees for the emergency room.

County Commissioner Mark Alcarez said he would understand the proposed move but expressed concern if anyone was abusing the 911 call system.

“Are taxpayers going to say, ‘I pay taxes, why am I getting $100 for this?'” the commission vice chairman asked. he questioned.

The governor’s office added the following in its statement:

“Additionally, the percentage of individuals seeking services is outpacing our county’s growth, as many patients are unable to access healthcare due to crowded emergency rooms, inability to access real-time doctor appointments, and the ease of use of 911, which means people call us 911 to access their care.” Call more often.”

Commissioners are holding off on the proposed new fee for now, but did approve an overall 30% increase in EMS fees.

The cheapest trip to the hospital will now be $767 for BLS, which is basic life support with a medical evaluation without advanced procedures. For example, ALS-2 service, which requires multiple and more comprehensive treatments, such as cardiac arrest, increased from $877 to $1,152.

Fire and EMS say the county’s wage plan is still among the lowest in metro Atlanta and that another increase is out of the question in the near future.