Please read the below questions to see if they help you answer any questions. If your questions are not answered, please call our billing vendor MultiMed Billing Services at 1-800-927-5845 for clarification or you can call the TIERS office at (315) 686-2058 for assistance with your bill.
Our highly-trained staff
(career and volunteer), vehicles and equipment dedicated to answering emergency
9-1-1 calls our community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is expensive. The high
cost involved in staffing, training and equipping three ambulances is paid for
through a combination of user fees that are billed to those who actually use the
service, and an ambulance tax subsidy from the Town of Orleans and the Town of
Clayton.
The fees for ambulance service are typically based on prevailing Medicare rates
and are adjusted to cover other operating costs. TIERS’ rate and fee schedule is
very reasonable and customary for our area. Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue
Service Inc. maintains direct billing with nearly all-major insurance carriers,
including Medicare, and accepts assignment with New York State Medicaid. TIERS
crews may ask the patient or a relative to sign a billing statement (Release
Authorization), to authorize direct billing of insurance companies.
No. Of all the ambulance agencies in Jefferson County, TIERS is one of only three that have staffed Paramedic-level response, which means that a Paramedic and driver are ready to respond instantly to a call. This does not include Guilfoyle Ambulance, the commercial EMS service in Watertown.
If our EMS crews transport
a resident of our authorized ambulance district to an area regional hospital,
TIERS can transport that patient to another hospital if needed. Be aware that
TIERS’ supervisory staff has to first consider the immediate needs of our
emergency response district and if adequate emergency and backup staffing is
available before approving the transport. TIERS will also request a Medical
Necessity statement from the patient’s doctor. This document assures the
transport is for the best interest of the patient.
I have HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid insurance, can
you bill them directly?
We do submit claims to various insurance companies. There are many steps to this process, which if not handled immediately will result in a delay of receiving your payment. Once we have this information, your claim will be submitted manually or electronically.
If you were transported as a result of a motor vehicle crash, your medical expenses are covered under the No-Fault portion of your vehicle’s insurance. TIERS will obtain the car insurance carrier information and New York Law requires that the claim be submitted to the insurance carrier within 45 days of the accident.
Please ask your employer to contact our billing vendor immediately regarding this. We need to have your Workers’ Compensation carrier information.
TIERS also provides
“intercept” services to other volunteer services. Not all volunteer ambulance
services have advanced life support (ALS), equipment and personnel available,
and--depending on the type of call--EMS agencies are required by state and local
protocols to have an ALS provider respond to certain type of calls and evaluate
the patient to see if there is a need for ALS treatment.
If you received a bill from TIERS for this service, we were requested by the
transporting ambulance service or Jefferson County’s 911 center.
In many cases, insurance companies do not cover “Intercept” charges. If you have
a question about an assist charge, your first phone call should be to your
insurance company to see if they cover it. If they do cover it and you need
assistance in submitting it, please contact our billing vendor’s office.
Subscription Membership Program? Do I still get a bill for ambulance service?No. If you are enrolled and current in your yearly subscription with SafeGuardTM you should never get a bill for service. TIERS does bill Medicare or your insurance provider for our service but as a SAFEGUARD member there will be no charge for cost over what your insurances pay.
CLICK HERE For Information About The TIERS SafeGuardTM Program
