Authority
The Pinellas County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Authority was created through a Special Act of the Legislature. Chapter 80-585, Laws of Florida, created the countywide EMS district investing all powers in a seven member, elected board, empowered to oversee and regulate all emergency medical service activities in the County. The Special Act was approved by a countywide voter referendum in 1980. The Authority owns the trade-name Sunstar EMS, and holds the license for paramedic ambulance services in the county. According to the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (1999), Pinellas County is the third largest, multi-jurisdictional EMS system in the nation.
As the overall responsible body for EMS in the County, the EMS Authority is charged with always maintaining state of the art equipment and services, providing the highest quality of patient care available and providing such services in the most fiscally responsible and efficient manner possible. The EMS Authority oversees an EMS system that runs over 171,000 responses for emergency and non-emergency ambulance services each year. Our Sunstar paramedic ambulance service transported over 121,000 patients last year.
The Pinellas County EMS Authority is a purchaser of services, not a direct provider. We contract with 19 local fire departments for paramedic first responder services. We also contract with a single provider of countywide paramedic ambulance services, Sunstar EMS. The EMS Authority utilizes volume purchasing power for medical supplies. We purchase over $2 million per year in disposable advanced life support supplies and medications. Through periodic competitive bidding for ambulance operations, and keeping the number of county government employees involved in the system’s management small, we guarantee getting the best possible prices, and extending those savings to our taxpayers and customers in the form of lower taxes and user fees.
The Authority only employs 48 county government personnel in its department of EMS and Fire Administration. The clear majority of County EMS personnel work in the billing division. The Authority controls all funding; sets the rates; bills and collects user fees for ambulance services rendered and pays our contractors for services rendered.
The Authority funds the ambulance service through user fees, for two reasons: 1) there are legal payer sources, such as Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and private payers, and 2) we have such a high percentage of tourists and other visitors to our area every year. The Authority did not want to tax local residents for use of the paramedic ambulance service by people who don't live in our community. If you are transported, then we send a bill. As a courtesy to our patients, we bill Medicare, Medicaid and insurance companies directly.
The EMS Authority also makes available a subscription membership program for people who may utilize the ambulance service. The FirstCare Membership Plan is designed to absorb unexpected out-of-pocket expenses for Sunstar ambulance service. The membership covers medically necessary transports, which originate and terminate within Pinellas County. The fees are $70 a year for a family and $45 a year for an individual. When a member is transported and meets the criteria, we will bill their insurance coverage(s) first and cover any outstanding balance from the membership pool. The patient will not receive a bill for the difference. Their membership fee will cover any out-of-pocket ambulance expense that would normally be charged directly to the patient.
For more information, please call (727) 582-2000.
