Spring Hill collects more on medical bills than county

The Spring Hill fire district has collected at least 90 percent of its medical billing nearly every year since 2003 - a double-digit improvement compared to the county’s fire and rescue services.

For the five annual billing cycles beginning September 2003 and ending September 2008, Spring Hill Fire Rescue collected 90 to 91 percent of its net charges for patients who were transported and-or treated.

On average, the district failed to collect less than $208,500 per year since September 2003, according to records obtained by Hernando Today.

“That’s not too bad. That’s actually a pretty good number,” said Rajeev Rajagopal, co-owner of Managed Outsource Solutions out of Tulsa, Okla. “Whenever you’re dealing with ambulance calls, you have a lot of patients who may not have enough money for medical bills. That definitely falls into play.”

A perfect score is impossible because sometimes the patients are deceased by the time the billing process is filed, said Spring Hill Fire Chief Mike Rampino.

“I’m very happy about it,” the chief said about the numbers from the past six years. “It’s something to be proud of. We’re doing the best we can with what we have, and I’m proud of what they do.”

Hernando County Fire Rescue’s numbers also are considered better than average. For the billing cycle from April 1, 2007, to March 31, 2008, the department collected 80 percent of what it charged. During the same period the following year, the county collected 74 percent, but that number is likely to increase as some patients complete their payment plans, said Hernando County Fire Chief Mike Nickerson.

“Our net collection rate of 75 to 80 percent is consistent with, or higher than, the regional average and is an improvement from the average 70 percent collection rate by our previous billing company, dating back to 2006 and prior,” Nickerson said. Read More Medical Billing Outsourcing