Frequently Asked Questions
Beginning January 1, 2013, the EMS Law authorizes Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service to seek reimbursement for ambulance transports from private health insurance companies, Medicare, or Medicaid.
No. County residents will never receive a bill or pay a co-pay, deductible or any out-of-pocket expenses. Whatever private insurers, Medicare, or Medicaid pay for ambulance rides will be considered payment in full. For those without health insurance, the ride is covered because you are a County taxpayer. No Ambulance paramedic will ever ask you for insurance information.
The EMS Law will generate about $18 million a year – or $180 million over 10 years – without raising taxes, without raising fees, and without costing residents anything. One hundred percent of this money will be dedicated to the Fire & Rescue Service.
No. The costs of emergency services are already included in the premiums charged by insurers. Rates are set regionally and nearly all of our surrounding jurisdictions already have EMS reimbursement programs. Instead of the insurers paying reimbursements for emergency services, our taxpayers have been footing the bill, boosting profits for insurers.
The State of Maryland has shifted over $400 million over 10 years in state teacher pension costs to Montgomery County. The State also approved an inflexible “Maintenance of Effort” law on school funding that could force the County to add at least $25 million to reserves each year above and beyond what is already done. Our ability to provide basic services to residents may be seriously jeopardized without additional revenue.
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service will use the reimbursements to improve and expand critically needed services that save County lives and property, including reducing response times and purchasing vehicles and equipment. By law, the money recovered from insurers will be dedicated to Fire & Rescue and cannot be used for anything else, freeing up taxpayer dollars for other critical County services such as education; other public safety needs; the safety net for seniors and the most vulnerable; libraries; recreation centers; and road maintenance.
Under the EMS Law, a County Patient Advocate will address any questions and concerns and ensure the highest quality customer service. The Patient Advocate can be reached at (240) 777-3636 or [email protected].
- Date of service after 2/16/2024:
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Montgomery County has contracted with a company called Digitech to handle our transport insurance reimbursements. The company may need to contact people who were transported by ambulance if it needs additional information to file a claim with insurance companies.
Request for information contact methods:
Mail form to: MONTGOMERY COUNTY FIRE RESCUE, MD PO BOX 824756 PHILADELPHIA PA 19182-4756 Attn: Maxine D’Agostino
Phone: 888-874-0813
Fax: 888-974-1293
Email: [email protected] - Date of service prior to 2/16/2024:
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Montgomery County had contracted with a company called Optum (Change Healthcare) to handle our transport insurance reimbursements. The company may need to contact people who were transported by ambulance if it needs additional information to file a claim with insurance companies.
Optum’s full address is:
4720 Salisbury Rd. Ste 121
Jacksonville, FL 32256
Montgomery County residents do not pay for ambulance transports. The request from Optum or Digitech (the County’s insurance reimbursement contractor) will enable the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service to obtain any additional insurance information it needs to file a claim with the transported person’s insurance company. For non-Montgomery County residents, correspondence from Optum or Digitech may be a request for payment for transport services.
The Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service has set up a HIPAA*-compliant lockbox with the County contracted banker, PNC, whose mailing address for all EMS transport payments is in Pennsylvania. The address is:
P.O. Box, 824756
Philadelphia, PA 19182-4756
*HIPAA is a Federal law that protects the privacy of an individual’s health care information.
Some insurance companies prefer to mail payment for ambulance transport to their customer rather than to Montgomery County, even though the County filed the claim for the ambulance transport. If you receive a check from your insurance company, please endorse the check to Montgomery County and mail it to our contractor’s lockbox at:
PNC
P.O. Box 824756
Philadelphia, PA 19182-4756
If you have cashed the check, reimburse the County by sending a check payable to Montgomery County Government for the amount you received from the insurance company and include your account number and the words “Insurance reimbursement” on the memo line. If you need information on your account number or have other questions, call Optum (the County’s insurance reimbursement contractor) customer service representatives at (843) 428-2638.
For dates of service prior to 2/16/2024 call Optum (the County’s insurance reimbursement contractor) customer service representatives at (843) 428-2638.
For dates of service after 2/16/2024 call Digitech (the County’s current insurance reimbursement contractor) at 888-874-0813, Digitech Email: [email protected], Digitech Website: https://MCFRS.PayAmbulance.com
If you are not satisfied, contact the EMS Transport Reimbursement Patient Advocate at (240) 777–3636 or email [email protected].
Attorney’s offices may request billing statements for dates of service prior to 2/16/2024 by using https://www.chartswap.com use lookup name: Montgomery Co Fire & Rescue
Attorney’s offices may request billing statements for dates of service after 2/16/2024 by using https://www.chartswap.com use lookup name: Montgomery County Fire & Rescue
If you have difficulty with Chart Swap, call them at (855) 879-7927 and Chart Swap will help navigate the site.