After a request for a license to provide non-emergency transportation to patients in the Brownwood Area, Brownwood City Council held a lengthy public hearing and consulted in executive session with city attorney Pat Chesser.
David Furry, owner of Heart of Texas EMS, came before the council Tuesday morning to request a license to provide an additional ambulance service for the city for transport of non-emergency patients traveling to and from hospitals and clinics within the area and outside the area. According to Furry, there have been times when a cooperative effort of two services could have provided more timely service to patients in the area and that he believes there is a need by the public for such service.
Furry pointed out that competition is good for all types of business and produces better service for customers when businesses are forced to compete. He addressed councilmen individually as to their own businesses and experiences where they are faced with competition and are not allowed a monopoly.
“My family owns several businesses in the area. My wife and I own a business that employs 100 people in Brown County,” said Furry who also owns CMS Healthcare. “I have never owned a business that doesn’t have competition. Competition is good for business.”
Patients’ rights were a matter of concern to Furry. He stated that patients should have the right to choose their transport company just as they have the right to choose their doctors. He felt the current understanding of no competition violates the laws concerning patients’ rights.
Currently, the City of Brownwood is under contract with Guardian EMS service for all emergency and non-emergency services. In fact, a city ordinance was established which prohibits other EMS services from transporting patients within the city. Brown County is also under an agreement with Guardian EMS to provide this exclusive service. Both Brownwood and Brown County entered into a 5 year contract with Guardian in January of 2011, which not only provides service to the citizens of the area, but also provides for a subsidy to be paid to Guardian EMS which helps offset costs for those who are transported who do not have insurance or who cannot pay for these services, according to Guardian EMS CEO Ricky Powell (pictured above) who also addressed the council Tuesday.
Powell explained to the council that to be able to provide $1.3 million dollars in yearly salaries of Guardian’s 40 employees in Brown County, they cannot afford to lose any business, especially that of transports, which generates 41% of their revenues. 75% of these transport patients are Medicare payments.
“Removing that revenue will adversely affect EMS service provided by Guardian EMS,” stated Powell. “We are providing the adequate services as described in the contract, and we are the experts in this area. We have great people, a great staff. We are proud of our service in Brown County and we adequately operate within Brown County.”
More than two hours were spent in both the public hearing and executive session before Councilman Carl McMillan moved to table the discussion in order for the council to research the public need for additional ambulance service. A committee of councilmen Jerry DeHay and Eddie Watson were appointed by Mayor Stephen Haynes to research the matter.
Mayor Haynes stated that the matter would be put on the agenda for the next council meeting on February 6th unless the committee was not able to report on the public need for additional ambulance service. If no information is available on February 6th, the matter would be taken up at a following council meeting.
