Do Fees For Ambulance Service Get Billed Through City Of Rockford Il

Nate Carden (from left), Luis Jimenez, John Hall and Michael Schnaper look at an EKG on a defibrillator Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, during an EMT-Paramedic class at the SwedishAmerican EMS training facility in Rockford.

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ROCKFORD — The ambitious battle waged amid the city's hospitals for the right to train Rockford paramedics could have a victor at Monday'southward City Council meeting.

The contract is far from lucrative. And becoming the city's resources hospital carries with information technology the responsibility of training and providing license supervision for the 258 emergency responders in Rockford who are called when lives are on the line, Division Chief Jim Strey said.

Just the risk to provide the services to the Rockford Fire Department — a section local officials merits is the busiest urban fire department in the state other than Chicago — is something Rockford'southward hospitals are willing to do for footling or even no cost to taxpayers.

For the by vii years, SwedishAmerican Health System has served as the metropolis's resource hospital. For simply $xv,000 a year, the infirmary trained about a dozen new Rockford paramedics and provided the required continuing pedagogy courses for the rest of the department.

But the Dec. 31 expiration of the contract with SwedishAmerican left a void that Rockford's three hypercompetitive hospitals charged to fill up.

OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center said the city should give it the contract outright as information technology considers building new facilities along Westward State Street. Swedish-American urged the city to consequence a request for proposals, giving SwedishAmerican a fair adventure to keep information technology.

OSF ups the dues

When urban center officials declined to requite the contract to OSF, the infirmary joined forces with Rockford Health System to offering — free of charge to the city — medical training to the Rockford Fire Department.

OSF hired full-time firefighter and marriage President EJ Dilonardo to manage its European monetary system training program. Dilonardo plans to keep his job equally a city fireman in addition to his full-time duties for OSF and plans in December to seek re-election as union president.

City Legal Managing director Patrick Hayes said OSF has proposed measures, such every bit an alternative chain of command, that have satisfied concerns the metropolis raised about potential conflicts of interest that could stem from Dilonardo'southward various positions.

OSF besides is offering to build an EMS training center in Spring Creek Development Grouping'due south 50-acre Renaissance Development along West Land Street between Springfield and Pierpont avenues. Information technology would be located side by side to a Rockford fire station that too serves as a fire training facility, offering the metropolis "greater training efficiencies."

OSF President David Schertz declined to explain whether the training heart would be in addition to or part of a clinic and ambulance facility discussed for the evolution, and why the hospital system would offer to exercise the job for free, and wouldn't comment until after the city makes a terminal decision, OSF spokesman Michael Robinson said in an e-mail.

The city declined to release copies of what Hayes called "voluminous" proposals from the hospitals, citing legal exemptions for bid documents and contracts under the Illinois Liberty of Information Act.

The hospitals submitted boxes filled with their proposals and supporting documentation in an attempt to win the contract, Hayes said. He said those documents can only be released after a decision is made.

One equus caballus left in race

City staff volition probable recommend accepting OSF as the resource hospital, with the support of Rockford Wellness System, during a Monday night committee meeting. Rockford Health Arrangement would provide continuing education preparation for firefighters from stations west of the Rock River and OSF would provide grooming for east-side firefighters, Master Derek Bergsten said.

It's the simply proposal city staff considered.

Last week, staff informed Rockford aldermen that SwedishAmerican'south bid was rejected because a required Equal Employment Opportunity document wasn't turned in by the Oct. 28 deadline. Although the paperwork was submitted afterwards, staff still wouldn't consider it and denied SwedishAmerican's protest.

It was reminiscent of a similar episode in 2003 when a Rockford Health System proposal was rejected over missing EEO forms. SwedishAmerican won the contract for the outset time that year.

SwedishAmerican officials expressed disappointment that their bid would exist dismissed over a technical mistake afterwards years of providing what city officials have said was "excellent" grooming.

Although he was not bachelor for comment concluding week, SwedishAmerican CEO and President Bill Gorski said in a contempo interview the hospital has washed a good job training city emergency workers and has invested in equipment to better training. Including Rockford, SwedishAmerican provides preparation services for 17 agencies.

He said the $15,000 that SwedishAmerican charged the city each yr didn't cover the health system's price and that at that place was fiddling marketing value from the contract.

But it was the value during emergency situations that Gorski said was important to the hospital.

Gorski noted that SwedishAmerican receives an average of 620 ambulance visits every month and 120 admissions of patients via ambulances a month, making it one of the busiest emergency rooms in the state. Gorski said there is a level of improved teamwork and care when the infirmary has trained the paramedics and emergency personnel bringing patients to the hospital.

"When fourth dimension is of the essence, advice becomes of the essence," Gorski said. "If we are on the same folio, it makes for improve patient care. We know the folks, we train them and that's why whatsoever hospital would want to practise that."

No matter the final outcome, Strey said the Burn Department will not allow emergency response to suffer. Over the years, each of the urban center'south hospitals have at one betoken or some other trained city paramedics and emergency medical technicians, he said.

"Regardless of who is our project medical director or where we get our education, we provide a quality product on the street," Strey said. "Whatever changes that effect from the (bid process) and resource infirmary, nosotros volition brand the transition and it will exist seamless."

Reach staff writer Jeff Kolkey at jkolkey@rrstar.com or 815-987-1374.

Central dates

Each of Rockford's three hospitals has served as the city's "Resources Hospital," responsible for the licensure and preparation of Rockford firefighter paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

1978 to 1986: OSF Saint Anthony Medical Middle

1987 to 2002: Alternated annually between Rockford Memorial Hospital and OSF Saint Anthony

2003 to December. 31, 2009: SwedishAmerican Hospital

Sources: City of Rockford and Rockford Burn Department

PAST COVERAGE

Nov. 17: Swedes contract lost over tardily paperwork

March 20: Metropolis Council urged to go EMS contract bids

October. xx: Ambulances pose staffing challenges