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EMS in Unprecedented Times: Federal Funding Uncertainty in 2025 and Beyond

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Widespread layoffs. Looming budget cuts. Federal funding freezes. Tariff uncertainty. Behind the attention-grabbing headlines are critical questions from EMS agencies that need answers:

  • Will government payers continue to reimburse ambulance claims amid funding freezes?
  • How will federal cuts to Medicaid affect reimbursement?
  • Will Medicare payments take a hit?
  • Are Medicaid Supplemental Payment programs like GEMT at risk?
  • How can you navigate through tariffs?

The Rapidly Evolving Landscape

First, a Civics 101 lesson. Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government and holds the power of the purse, meaning it has authority over government spending. For substantial changes to occur, such as cuts in Medicaid or Medicare spending, Congress must pass legislation or budgets. Early signs in the current administration point to Congress creating a framework for sizeable spending cuts, but specifics are lacking at this point.

In the meantime, the Executive Branch has been issuing spending freezes through executive orders. There is no doubt that many government entities and individuals have been substantially impacted by those freezes, but major spending changes need to pass through Congress. Additionally, the courts have challenged many of these freezes, resulting in judicial orders for spending to continue.

At the time of this writing, the House budget resolution under consideration aims to cut at least $880 billion in costs over the next ten years. Experts say a substantial portion will need to come from Medicaid spending. Dissention is already rising; public sentiment indicates that not enough money is spent on Medicaid. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation Poll conducted February 14-19, only about 20% of respondents felt that too much was being spent on Medicaid and that it should be cut. Even among voters who supported Trump in the election, only 34% felt that too much was being spent on Medicaid. Around 19% of the U.S. population relies on Medicaid for health coverage[1], so Congresspersons’ constituents would be undoubtedly affected by cuts.

Medicaid is jointly funded by states and the federal government. Contributions vary state to state, but range from over 50% to 80%. What would happen if the federal government reduced its portion of the contribution? With roughly 19% of EMS patients covered by Medicaid in a time where Medicaid already under-reimburses providers for the costs of emergency ambulance transports, it’s not a stretch to say that EMS providers would be impacted.

States Backed Into a Corner

If federal Medicaid funding was reduced, the states would be put in a difficult situation. In the short term, states could cover the shortfall, but most are not in a financial position to do this for very long. Other options include reducing the amount reimbursed for services (e.g., announcing a 50% cut in reimbursement rates, which are already very low to start with for most Medicaid programs) or reducing the number of covered individuals. These options could start a domino effect of negative consequences for EMS providers, as the number of uninsured individuals would grow while the Medicaid-insured population would decline. Uninsured patients rarely pay their EMS bills in full (or at all).

Similarly, with Medicare, reduced payments are unlikely to occur quickly. Medicare add-on payments were just extended through the end of the federal fiscal year, leaving long-term and higher levels of extension uncertain. The budget extension has not addressed the longer-term, substantial cuts that Congress and the Presidential administration are considering. The 4% PAYGO sequestration[2], deferred for several years as part of funding the Infrastructure Recovery Act, is also up in the air.

And then there’s the Ground Data Ambulances Collection System (GADCS). The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), tasked with advising Congress on Medicare issues, analyzed the initial dataset resulting from the GADCS that all EMS agencies were required to participate in. We were hopeful that the data and MedPAC’s final report, due in June 2026, would result in a substantive increase in Medicare allowance amounts for ambulance transports. But given the various staffing cuts and focus on spending reductions, it would not be surprising to see a delay or end to the current efforts to seek increased/fair reimbursements from Medicare.

It’s also unlikely that a consensus will be easily obtained on how to apply the recommendations that the Advisory Committee on Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB) made regarding ground ambulance services vis-à-vis the federal No Surprises Act. With that said, addressing surprise medical bills is a topic that the current administration has said is a priority; hopefully that is not done without some thought and review of the GAPB report.

Major Unknowns

In addition to the various areas already covered, substantial changes to the global tariff structure appear to be likely. On the surface, EMS agencies are service providers and thus would not be substantially impacted by a change in the tariff structure. However, depending on how things play out, supply costs could rise depending on from where required items (ambulances, equipment, supplies) are sourced. Additionally, there are concerns that new tariff structures will cause inflation to rise, which would put pressure on agencies to increase wages, the largest expense item for EMS systems by far.

At this point, there are many more questions than answers. One thing that appears to be certain: uncertainty.

In this industry, we react to the unexpected. From 9/11 to the opioid epidemic to Covid-19, emergency responders have adapted and moved forward during plenty of “unprecedented times.” EMS providers will undoubtedly find ways to overcome any new challenge. But it shouldn’t have to be this way. We encourage all involved in the EMS industry to get involved:

  • Build relationships with local, state, and federal legislators. Regular meetings, phone calls, and emails can build strong working relationships, allowing EMS providers to educate them on the challenges faced by the EMS community and the need for improved funding. A good start is to write to your Congressional leaders and let them know how critical federal funds are for your organizations and communities.
  • Join established organizations and advocacy groups. This list of EMS Associations hosted by NHTSA’s Office of EMS (OEMS) shows organizations with which the OEMS collaborates most frequently, giving them a voice on the federal level. A unified voice has more impact when lobbying for legislative changes.
  • Utilize digital and media outreach. EMS professionals can use social media platforms to raise awareness about funding issues, or even work with local news outlets highlight the challenges of EMS underfunding. Op-eds and opinion pieces for local newspapers or online publications can also have impact. Bringing public attention to the issues can pressure lawmakers to act.

Even small efforts and actions can make a big difference. EMS personnel and their supporters have the power to advocate for both preservation of and increases in reimbursement and funding, paving the way for more sustainable, efficient, and effective emergency medical services.

[1] Source: US Census Bureau, Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2023, September 2024.

[2] The 5% PAYGO sequestration refers to a mandatory spending reduction triggered by the PAYGO (Pay-As-You-Go) rules, which require offsets for new federal spending. For several years, this sequestration was deferred to support funding for the Infrastructure Recovery Act. For EMS, this sequestration could potentially reduce Medicare payments to providers, impacting their funding. However, the deferral allowed EMS services along with other federally funded services to avoid these reductions during the period when the infrastructure act was funded.

The Surprise Factor: Why EMS Deserves to be Reimbursed for Costs in the Midst of Balance Billing Regulations

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The recent federal budget proposed by the Biden Administration for FY 2024 had an unwelcome surprise in it for the EMS industry. The proposed budget extends the No Surprises Act (NSA) to cover ground ambulance services, a category that was previously left out, starting in 2025. Let’s look at where we are right now and how we got here.

No Surprises Act Overview & How Ambulance Services Fit In

The NSA was passed in 2021 with the stated goal to end surprise medical bills for patients. The Act applied regulations to emergency services in hospitals and air ambulance, but Congress kept ground ambulance services as an area that a separate committee (Ground Ambulance Patient Billing Advisory Committee) would review to determine how the NSA should be applied.

Specifically, the NSA prohibits providers from balance billing patients, which occurs when the payer (insurance companies) refuses to allow the charge from the provider (hospital, doctor, air ambulance). For patients, this usually occurs when there is no knowledge or choice of care options and the patient receives care from an out-of-network provider, leading to a surprise bill. The situation forces the provider to file a case with an arbitrator (federal independent dispute resolution process) if it feels the payment made by the payer is insufficient. The arbitration is “baseball style arbitration,” in which the arbitrator chooses one side or the other; there is no settlement in between. The idea behind this is that both provider and payer are more likely to submit a realistic number to avoid the other party being deemed to have provided a more reasonable amount. Additionally, the arbitrator is supposed to consider the good faith efforts each party has made to reach a fair reimbursement through a negotiation and contracting process as part of the determination. For example, if a provider shows multiple attempts to negotiate a reasonable reimbursement through contractual outreaches, only to have the payer reject all efforts, that would benefit the provider.

Unfortunately, the NSA is off to a bumpy start. When the legislation was passed, it was estimated that there would be 17,000 cases of arbitration in the nine-month period for which it was in effect during 2022. That period actually produced 275,000 cases. The U.S. Administration weighed into the arbitration process with guidance that when in doubt, the arbitrator would consider the amount of payment made by the payer as the presumed correct amount. Many feel this was tipping the scale too far in favor of payers.

In 2022, a judge ruled that the overweight consideration of the payer’s “qualifying payment amount” was unfair. The Biden Administration revised the rule in September, and it was immediately challenged again by the Texas Medical Association (TMA) as being overly partial to payers. In February, a judge agreed with the TMA that the guidelines around the arbitration were unfairly biased towards payers. The arbitration process is on hold.

Another awkward aspect of the proposed FY 2024 budget is that the Ground Ambulance Patient Billing Advisory Committee Congress formed to make recommendations on how to apply the NSA to ground ambulances had already been formed and is pending its first meeting. The proposed extension of the NSA to ground ambulance undermines the process that Congress established to provide thoughtful consideration of what is fair to all parties.

Putting aside the growing drama around this topic, what does this mean and where do ambulance providers go from here?

Where Ambulance Providers Go From Here

In addition, messaging to the public on this topic is an area where there is an uneven playing field. Insurance payers have the deep pockets and can influence the message. Payers have hammered on messaging that the issue is about greedy providers, and that the providers are solely driving up healthcare costs. Compared to the insurance industry, ambulance providers are numerous, less financially endowed, and relatively unorganized.

What do we need to push for? The EMS industry needs to continue to make the case that ambulance providers must be allowed to get reimbursement for the costs of providing the services. On the municipal side, cutting insurance payments just means that tax subsidies will need to increase to cover the cost of the services. For private providers, companies will have to charge their public constituents more – and typically that burden will fall back on the municipality that has contracted for the services – or exit the market. This is just a shell game of placing the burden elsewhere.

Where insurance companies do have a fair argument is that they are subsidizing an unfair payment system in which governmental payers are not paying their fair share of the costs. Medicare should be addressing this through the CMS cost reporting process that is underway via the Ground Ambulance Data Collection System. But we are still several years away from the results that consider potentially increasing what Medicare pays for an ambulance transport. In most states, what Medicaid pays for an ambulance transport is a small fraction of the cost. There really needs to be a coordinated effort across all payers. Forcing a change favoring the commercial insurance payers starting in 2025 is not the answer.

The more fact-based we can be, and the stronger we can appeal to the sensibility of the general public about the value of EMS, the better the outcome will be for the industry. We cannot let ourselves be placed in a situation that will force tremendous infusions of money from municipalities’ general funds that are already stretched thin. We cannot allow private providers to be forced out of the industry because the financial model is stacked against them.

The lifesaving EMS providers in our community deserve to receive reasonable reimbursement to sustain a vital part of the United States health system.

Digitech Wins EMS Product Innovation Award

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Interactive symptom heatmap was rapidly developed and deployed to clients at the height of COVID-19

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y., December 6, 2021 – Digitech, the leading provider of EMS billing and technology, is pleased to announce that the company’s Symptom Map solution has been named an EMS World Innovation Awards 2021 winner.

Digitech’s Symptom Map, part of the company’s proprietary billing platform, is an interactive heat map that allows EMS agencies to geospatially track call locations and responding crews. Symptom Map users can track any diagnosis code or provider impression, map the concentration of EMS responses to specific symptoms, and drill into individual claims to see all account details, including the complete patient care report.

The development of Digitech’s Symptom Map was driven by the COVID-19 crisis. In early March 2020, it became clear that COVID-19 would have a significant impact on EMS operations everywhere, and Digitech drew upon its history of rapidly delivering solutions in response to evolving needs. A client approached Digitech with a request to help them understand how and where the virus was spreading within their constituency. The request was swiftly passed to our development team. Within days, Garrett Anger, senior developer at Digitech, had delivered a prototype of the heatmap.

With just a few refinements, the solution was made available to all clients before the end of March 2020, just two weeks after COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency. EMS leaders among Digitech’s client base began to put it to use immediately. For example, Sullivan County Health Department in Tennessee used the Symptom Map to determine where they could most effectively deploy mobile testing stations and maximize resource utilization. Built-in integrations with other tools in Digitech’s technology platform enabled administrators to display COVID-related pickup locations regardless of the provider’s impression.

EMS World holds their esteemed Innovation Awards contest to recognize the most pioneering products of the year that have the potential to transform EMS care. Previously, Digitech won the prestigious award in 2013 for its PCR Lens field data collection aggregation and improvement tool. EMS World Innovation Award judges noted that Digitech’s Symptom Map is “an original and useful way to track health concerns and environmental dangers in a given jurisdiction or patient populations.”

“We are honored to receive the recognition of this 2021 EMS World Innovation Award,” said Walt Pickett, Chief Operating Officer for Digitech. “The award is a testament to Digitech’s continuing commitment to innovation that is responsive to our customers’ needs.”

To view this release as a PDF, please click here. Originally published at newswire.com/news/digitech-wins-ems-product-innovation-award-21570269.

Digitech Closes Successful First Quarter Of 2021

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Digitech’s Growth Continues Through Customer Acquisitions, New Hires, and Technology Upgrades

Chappaqua, NY, April 27, 2021 – Digitech, a leading provider of EMS billing and technology services, announces that it has closed a successful first quarter of 2021 with key additions to its staff and customer base as well as the continued migration of legacy clients onto their industry-leading billing platform.

“Despite its many challenges, 2020 was a watershed year for Digitech,” said Mark Schiowitz, President and CEO. “We closed a successful Q1 2021 because the stage was set last year. The pivotal event was our acquisition of the R1 EMS business unit in 2020, which required a tremendous amount of preparation and effort from our Digitech teams. Now, we are reaching new milestones as part of our continued commitment to efficiency and innovation.”

Significant Digitech achievements during this quarter include:

  • 12 new contracts signed with municipal, private, and nonprofit ambulance organizations, representing $70MM in annual collections to these agencies. This represents a 99% renewal rate with our existing clients and expands our reach with new clients in key states such as Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, and California.
  • Upgrading the processing system for clients who are now with Digitech after the R1 EMS acquisition. The upgrade involves migrating client processing from the legacy Intermedix EMR billing software to Digitech’s proprietary platform. By mid-year, Digitech is projecting that 35% of these clients will be converted, resulting in efficiency, revenue gains, and improved access to data.
  • Strategic new hires in Digitech’s legal and compliance departments, as well as the growth of new combined teams that bring together the best practices and efficiencies from two companies.
  • Coding process advancements and smart automations coming out of our billing and technology teams, leading to an increase in claims processed per hour, while maintaining our track record of impeccable accuracy and compliance.

“We’re excited about the momentum,” said Jason Crowell, Senior Vice President of Sales at Digitech. “Our year-over-year consistent performance and dedication to our clients is resonating in the marketplace. The strides we’ve made thus far in 2021 will help us reach our next stage of growth. More and more EMS agencies are reaping the benefits of Digitech’s strong compliance program, transparent real-time reporting and analytics solutions, and high level of client service.”

To view this release as a PDF, please click here.

Legal Experts Join Digitech to Expand Compliance Team

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Chappaqua, NY – March 15, 2021 – Digitech, a leading provider of EMS billing and technology services, has announced that Krina Merchant has been hired as Corporate Counsel and Amanda Stark has been hired as Risk Manager.

Ms. Merchant brings with her a background of balancing business goals with legal risk, which allows her to effectively support departments across Digitech. She recently held a role as corporate counsel for a cutting-edge biotechnology company, and has significant experience working in heavily regulated industries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Western Ontario (Canada) and received her Law Degree from The University of Leicester (UK). Subsequently, she earned a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall School of Law (Canada) and a second Master of Laws from Fordham University. Ms. Merchant is licensed to practice law in the State of New York. She is currently completing training to become a Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer.

Ms. Stark joins Digitech from Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, the nation’s leading EMS industry law firm, where she specialized in Medicare compliance. There, she co-authored the Ambulance Compliance Program Toolkit, created and taught the Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer course, and worked with clients across the country to create and improve their compliance programs. Ms. Stark is licensed to practice law in California. She earned her undergraduate degree from Millikin University, received her JD from the University of Illinois, and is certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC). As Risk Manager for Digitech, her responsibilities include reviewing and auditing clients’ claims to ensure they are billed in compliance with each payer’s rules.

Mark Schiowitz, President and CEO of Digitech, said, “We’ve always been proud of our impeccable compliance record. As the largest EMS billing firm in the country, we’ve scaled our legal, compliance, and audit teams so that we can continue to serve ambulance agencies of all sizes. We are honored to bring these experienced professionals on board to lead the most rigorous compliance program in the industry.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Sarnova to Acquire and Simultaneously Combine Digitech and R1 EMS Businesses

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Sarnova to Acquire and Simultaneously Combine Digitech and R1 EMS Businesses in Partnership with Pamlico Capital and Digitech Founder & CEO Mark Schiowitz

Combination Creates Leading Emergency Medical Services Revenue Cycle Management Provider

DUBLIN, Ohio, July 20, 2020 — Sarnova announced today that it will acquire and simultaneously combine Digitech and the R1 RCM Inc. (“R1”) EMS business (formerly ADPI/Intermedix), in partnership with Pamlico Capital and Digitech Founder and CEO Mark Schiowitz, to create a leading provider of revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions for emergency medical services (EMS) professionals. The business will continue to operate under the Digitech name and will be led by Mark Schiowitz and the combined management teams.

Sarnova is a leading national specialty distributor of healthcare products and services for the EMS and acute care markets. Sarnova’s Bound Tree Medical division has been a dedicated servant of the EMS community and committed to its mission “to help those who save and improve patients’ lives” for over 40 years. “We are committed to providing an unparalleled portfolio of products and services to our existing and new EMS customers, and this transaction is a significant demonstration of that commitment,” said Jeff Prestel, CEO of Sarnova. “We invest in companies and capabilities that specifically serve the EMS industry with the best products, services, and support,” said Mark Dougherty, Chief Business Development Officer of Sarnova. “We are excited to support Digitech’s growth through continued investment in its innovative technology platform and expansion of its dedicated team of EMS billing experts.”

Digitech, headquartered in Chappaqua, New York and led by Founder and CEO Mark Schiowitz since 1984, offers comprehensive RCM services and technology solutions focused exclusively on the EMS market. Digitech serves municipalities, hospitals, and private ambulance customers through innovative technology, time-tested processes, and true partnerships with EMS clients. “We are solely dedicated to serving the EMS industry with our billing solutions, and we are excited to serve a wider range of EMS providers with the acquisition of the R1 EMS business,” said Mark Schiowitz. “With investment from Sarnova and Pamlico, we have a unique opportunity to bring two great EMS RCM companies together to further support the success of our current and future customers by maximizing their revenue with superior technology, integration expertise, and transparent real-time reporting.”

“We look forward to partnering with Pamlico Capital, Mark Schiowitz, and the Digitech and Sarnova teams to support Digitech’s next phase of growth and advance Sarnova’s commitment to be the partner of choice for the EMS community,” said Yuriy Prilutskiy, Managing Director at Patricia Industries, a part of Investor AB and majority owner of Sarnova.

Pamlico Capital, an investor in Digitech since 2019, will retain a significant interest in the business alongside Sarnova and Mark Schiowitz. “We are incredibly excited to continue our investment in Digitech and we look forward to helping Digitech, in partnership with Sarnova, increase its presence in the EMS industry and continue to innovate its core offerings,” said Art Roselle, Pamlico Partner.

Sarnova was represented by Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc (financial advisor) and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (legal advisor). Pamlico was advised by Alston and Bird LLP (legal advisor). R1 was advised by Evercore (financial advisor) and Winston & Strawn LLP (legal advisor).

About Sarnova
Sarnova is the leading national specialty distributor of healthcare products in the emergency medical services (EMS) and acute care markets. The company is comprised of four major business units: Bound Tree Medical, Cardio Partners, Emergency Medical Products and Tri-anim Health Services. Sarnova is a company of Patricia Industries, a part of Investor AB, which makes significant investments in best-in-class companies with strong market positions, brands and corporate cultures. For more information, visit www.sarnova.com

About Digitech
Digitech is a leading provider of advanced billing and technology services to the EMS transport industry. Since its founding in 1984, Digitech has refined its software platform to create a cloud-based billing and business intelligence solution that monitors and automates the entire EMS revenue lifecycle. Digitech leverages its proprietary technology to offer fully outsourced services that maximize collections, protect compliance, and deliver results for clients. For more information, visit https://digitechcomputer.com/

About R1 RCM and R1 EMS
R1 RCM is a leading provider of technology-enabled revenue cycle management services which transform a health system’s revenue cycle performance across settings of care. R1 EMS, formerly known as Intermedix, provides solutions for EMS agencies to help them optimize revenue while promoting superior patient care – from dispatch to discharge. R1 EMS offers comprehensive revenue cycle management services and solutions that provide EMS agencies with billing, coding, collections, dashboards and reporting support. For more information, visit https://www.r1rcm.com/

About Patricia Industries
Patricia Industries, a part of Investor AB, makes control investments in leading companies with strong market positions, brands and corporate cultures within industries positioned for secular growth. Our ambition is to be the sole owner of our companies, together with strong management teams and boards. We invest with an indefinite holding period, and focus on building durable value and capturing organic and non-organic growth opportunities.

About Pamlico Capital
Pamlico Capital is a private equity firm founded in 1988 that invests in lower middle market companies in the U.S. Pamlico Capital seeks control-oriented growth equity investments alongside proven management teams in its target industries: business & technology services, communications, and healthcare. Since inception, the firm, based in Charlotte, NC, has invested over $3 billion. For more information, visit https://www.pamlicocapital.com/

Digitech Expands Sales Operations with EMS Industry Veterans

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New SVP of Sales named to lead business development operations

Chappaqua, NY – February 14th, 2020 – Digitech, a leading provider of EMS billing and technology services, today announced that Jason Crowell has been named Senior Vice President of Sales and Lauren Elam and Scot Metcalf have been brought on as Regional Sales Manager for the Eastern United States and Regional Sales Manager for the Southeastern United States.

Crowell comes aboard from ESO Solutions, where he was Director of Sales for the EMS data company’s EMS, Fire, and Billing Divisions. He brings more than twenty years of experience in business development and sales in the EMS marketplace. As SVP of Sales, Jason will lead expansion into new territories and new markets as Digitech continues to reach for greater opportunities.

“Successful service to the EMS billing community is deeply rooted in trust and financial performance,” says Jason. “Digitech has consistently built trust and delivered results in the marketplace, and because of the reputation they have maintained over their many years of service, I couldn’t be more excited to join this team. I look forward to leading our growth initiatives.”

Elam joins Digitech’s team from Fire Recovery EMS. Her background also includes time as a firefighter and paramedic at City of Bristol Fire Rescue, where she rose to the rank of lieutenant before moving into the private sector. Lauren’s wide range of experience broadens the scope of Digitech’s outreach to Fire and EMS professionals. Metcalf was also a firefighter paramedic at the City of Oviedo Fire Rescue, served as EMS Coordinator for HCA Hospitals, and was most recently Regional Account Manager for ESO Solutions. Scot’s breadth of knowledge in pre-hospital medical services brings a wealth of professional expertise to Digitech’s Sales team.

Digitech looks forward to leveraging the new team members’ experience to guide the company’s next phase of development. “We have an aggressive growth agenda,” states Mark Schiowitz, CEO and President of Digitech, “and we’re confident that Jason is the right pick to lead our Sales team into the next level of engagement with the EMS community. With the support of seasoned professionals like Lauren and Scot, we believe that we will ultimately bring Digitech’s advanced billing technology and premium customer service to a much wider range of ambulance service providers.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Receives Investment From Pamlico Capital

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Strategic growth investment supports Digitech’s continued success as it enters a new phase of growth

Chappaqua, NY – June 21, 2019 – ​​​Pamlico Capital (“Pamlico”) announced that it has entered into an agreement to make a strategic growth investment in Digitech Computer LLC (“Digitech”), a leading provider of Revenue Cycle Management (“RCM”) and technology solutions for Emergency Medical Services (“EMS”) transport providers. Founder and CEO Mark Schiowitz and the Digitech management team will maintain a significant ownership position and continue to manage the growth of the Company with support from Pamlico. Further terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“This marks a new chapter for Digitech and the next step in evolving the industry’s foremost billing platform dedicated solely to EMS,” said Mark Schiowitz, CEO of Digitech. “Our mission is to deliver a compliant, high-quality EMS billing service that maximizes revenue for clients as a result of our superior technology, integration expertise, and transparent real-time reporting. Our partnership with Pamlico gives us the opportunity to grow our offerings to support the success of our current and future clients.”

Digitech is partnering with Pamlico at an exciting time. The Company has built a large base of devoted customers and is gaining strong market momentum with continued improvements in its proprietary billing software platform and a steadfast commitment to excellent customer service. Digitech helps clients protect compliance, increase collections, and gain greater transparency by focusing on process improvement and automation throughout the entire revenue lifecycle.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with founder Mark Schiowitz and the rest of the management team,” said Art Roselle, Pamlico Partner. “Digitech has built an advanced, EMS-focused RCM platform that delivers best-in-class results for their clients. We look forward to working with the team to increase Digitech’s presence in the EMS industry and continue to innovate on its core offerings.” Pamlico Principal Scott Glass added, “We look for investments where we can work with entrepreneurs as first-time institutional partners, providing capital and strategic advice to help accelerate growth. Digitech represents a compelling growth platform, and we believe there are numerous opportunities to build on its historical success.”

Digitech will maintain its headquarters in Chappaqua, New York.

Digitech was represented by Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. (financial advisor) and Dentons US LLP (legal advisor). Pamlico was advised by Alston & Bird LLP (legal advisor).

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Learning Center Goes Live

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Pre-hospital patient care documentation training system launches

Chappaqua, NY – April 4, 2019 – Digitech, a leading provider of EMS billing and technology services, announces the opening of the Digitech Learning Center (DLC). The DLC is a new training resource enabling pre-hospital care providers and first responders to deepen their knowledge of a growing array of topics, including a complete, internally-produced documentation compliance course.

The Learning Center’s programs use video-based training followed by quizzes that verify the participants’ knowledge acquisition. Courses are delivered in manageable sections ranging from 90 seconds to 15 minutes. Documenting Excellence, the first training program on the DLC, features eight sections in which all aspects of data collection and documentation of pre-hospital patient care are covered, including operational data, clinical data, history and vital signs, interventions and observations, billing data, and writing complete and compliant narratives.

The DLC’s programs are designed for busy EMTs, firefighters, and paramedics who can do the work at their convenience—on the job, in a coffee shop, at home, or wherever there’s a free moment and good WiFi. Mobile devices and desktop systems all work equally well to consume the training. The coursework is supplemented by an array of resources and references that participants can use to further advance their documentation skills. Onscreen instructors include EMTs and Paramedics from Digitech’s staff, and material for the courses was developed in conjunction with our Certified Ambulance Coders and Quality Assurance experts along with seasoned Emergency Medical Services professionals at Digitech who understand the components and the value of clean, compliant patient care reports.

“We’re excited to offer this new resource to our clients,” said Mark Schiowitz, CEO and President of Digitech. “This medium makes it possible for EMTS to learn on their schedule and for their agencies to benefit from critical training without the huge costs and inconvenience that goes with gathering groups by taking them off the road. It’s quicker, easier, and better than the traditional classroom approach. The testing and scoring system enables EMS managers to track progress and monitor completion of assignments.”

Digitech has provided EMS billing services to clients across the United States since 1994. “We are a technology company, and the Learning Center is a continuation of our tradition of delivering high-quality, high-tech service and support to the EMS and Ambulance community,” adds Walt Pickett, Digitech’s Chief Operating Officer.

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Sponsors EMS Industry Speaker at Community Paramedicine Conference

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Lt. Kevin Spratlin to cover innovations in Memphis Fire EMS response

Chappaqua, NY – May 1, 2018 – Digitech, a leading provider of EMS billing and technology, is proud to announce that the company will be sponsoring Lieutenant Kevin Spratlin of the City of Memphis Fire Department to speak at the Atrium Health 2018 Community Paramedicine Conference. The educational event, held May 7-8 in Charlotte, North Carolina, offers programming aimed at promoting community-based healthcare. Lt. Spratlin is one of a select group of speakers covering topics that support the event’s mission.

Lt. Spratlin’s presentation, “How Memphis Fire Uses Data and Innovation to Navigate Patients to Better Care,” will address the department’s strategy for managing its large non-emergency EMS call volume. Lt. Spratlin leads the Healthcare Navigator program, which includes several initiatives geared toward helping low-acuity patients access the most appropriate healthcare resources. For example, in the City’s RADAR (Rapid Assessment Decision and Redirection) pilot program, for those calls deemed non-emergent by 911 dispatch, a vehicle is sent to the location staffed with a paramedic and a doctor, rather than dispatching an ambulance. The team makes a medical assessment at the scene to determine if emergency care is necessary; if not, they will advise and assist the patient with a different course of action, such as booking an appointment with a primary care doctor or providing transportation to a clinic.

“The results have been encouraging so far,” said Spratlin. “By providing services through the Healthcare Navigator Program, we alleviate the strain on the city’s finite EMS resources, improve throughput in hospital emergency departments, and decrease the cost of care to the healthcare community.” The program involves a collaboration with IBM through the Smarter Cities Challenge initiative, which provides analysis and consultation to reveal patterns in the City’s 911 calls and assess the City program’s effectiveness over time.

Digitech has provided EMS billing services to the City of Memphis Division of Fire Services since 2010. “We are honored to sponsor Lt. Spratlin’s presentation, and we share his priority of allocating the right resources at the right time through innovative, technology-based solutions,” said Mark Schiowitz, President and CEO of Digitech. Several members of the Digitech team will be joining Lt. Spratlin for the Atrium Health Community Paramedicine Conference.

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

How Ambulance Billing Services Can Increase Revenue and Maximize Compliance

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Originally published on JEMS

What business are you in? The answer may seem obvious to an ambulance service manager: “I’m in the emergency medical transport game.” But if you’re also doing the billing for those transports, you’re in fact in two businesses, because emergency transport and medical transport billing are completely different enterprises. It’s a critical distinction with lots of bottom line implications says, Mark Schiowitz, president and CEO of Digitech, who discussed the issue with JEMS during EMS Today 2017 in Salt Lake City.

Agencies that see billing merely as the paperwork portion of transportation can run into costly challenges related to everything from personnel to hardware. Never mind collecting data, how about processing it? “They have to deal with a whole IT infrastructure, which would include security and firewalls, and they need IT people to manage all these servers that they have,” Schiowitz said. “Once they get through that, they have to deal with application software that they need to maintain and keep updated; they need training. And then once they get all that stuff down, they need a whole billing department.”

Agencies that choose to handle their own billing will, of course, need to hire people with highly specialized skills. Good luck finding them. “This is a pretty niche industry; you can’t just find someone who does medical billing and expect them to do ambulance billing,” Schiowitz said. “You need to find some very special people.”

That’s in part because those people have to be fluent in the languages of legal considerations, frequent Medicare updates, medical transport protocols, HIPAA laws, and other security issues. “You have to make sure that your people are trained in compliance. There’s a lot of work, time, and money that goes into setting up a billing department,” Schiowitz said.

Seeking Outside Help

At a minimum some EMS agencies will consider outsourcing to avoid dealing with the increasing IT and hardware requirements. “Most billing companies, at least the good ones, will host the application. Some will even provide a dispatch system,” Schiowitz said. “So you’ve really simplified your infrastructure and, in doing that, you’ve released a certain amount of corporate energy to do the things that your company does best.”

But slimming the infrastructure is just the beginning of how outsourcing billing may help ambulance agencies thrive. How about fattening the revenues and lowering costs? “You have a real possibility that the billing service is going to increase revenue,” Schiowitz said. “You could also reduce your payroll, which creates a much leaner company that is better able to deal with the other issues of your business.”

Schiowitz says that it’s important to keep in mind that outsourcing is a variable cost, one that is linked to revenues as opposed to a monthly subscription that has to be paid whatever the volume. This helps make billing a manageable expense rather than a potentially costly exposure.

Still, many agencies remain resistant to the idea of third-party outsourcing. Sometimes it’s a friend or family member who’s doing the billing or, as is frequently the case, the agency genuinely believes it can do as good a job as a specialty billing service. The risk for the agency is that it’s extremely difficult to be good at both. The ambulance agency’s prime focus has to be on providing quality patient care and meeting response times. That raises the likelihood that it won’t be as good at disciplines such as compliance. Billing companies are solely focused on billing and all the regulations that come with it. “We have to be, because our whole company is at risk,” Schiowitz said. “If we run [afoul of] a compliance issue, clients will leave us, so we are extremely focused on compliance.”

Pitfalls

As with any investment, you have to conduct due diligence before outsourcing your agency’s billing. “You really need to be sure you’re picking an entity that can increase collections, has the compliance record, and has the track record to achieve the results that you want,” Schiowitz said. “And the second thing you need to do is you need to be committed to the project. Some companies will try to keep two or three of their billers on staff to manage the billing company. That’s a little bit like telling a doctor how to cure you. You really need to commit to the billing company and accept the fact that they probably know how to do this better and let them take the lead.”

EMS and ambulance agencies should be cautious of investing in a billing software system rather than a full-service billing solution. “A company that’s selling software is not incentivized to maximize collections or maximize efficiency,” Schiowitz said. “You’ll have companies that are selling by the seat, for instance. The more seats they sell, the more money they make and the more support fees they get, so they’re not inclined to reduce the numbers of seats they sell. There’s no incentive for a third-party vendor to try to help an ambulance company maximize revenue.”

In contrast, a full-service billing company is specifically designed to maximize revenue and efficiency. “The difference is that theirs [the software company] might be a Cadillac. It’s comfortable, easy to use, anybody can drive it,” Schiowitz said. “But what you really need is speed – something closer to a Formula One.” Never mind the air conditioning, the music system, or other accessories, says Schiowitz. “Focus on performance. Forget about the five-passenger comfort and just have a system that is specifically designed to achieve superlative results, which includes maximizing revenue, maintaining compliance, and delivering deep and transparent reporting.”

Houston Ambulance Chase Nets $28 Million

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Supplemental payment program closes the gaps in reimbursement for ambulance transports

Briarcliff Manor, NY – December 11, 2015 – When the Houston City Council selected Digitech to handle its billing for ambulance transports in 2013, it signed on with a partner that could help the city address both an information gap and a budget gap. A federal program allows governmental ambulance providers to recover a portion of the difference between the actual cost of services provided and the reimbursement allowed under Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care, and uninsured patients. Houston had been missing out on these Ambulance Supplemental Payment Program (ASPP) funds, because it couldn’t be certain of providing the extensive documentation of these expenditures required by the state of Texas, which administers the program.

Digitech’s Ambulance Commander software, combined with their data mining experience and reporting expertise, enabled Houston to provide the detailed accounting of all the city’s ambulance trips required by the ASPP. Houston had already seen an $11 million increase in revenue captured from ambulance billing—from $29 million in 2012-13 to nearly $40 million in 2013-14. For 2013-14, the ASPP has returned almost $28 million in additional revenue to the City of Houston. Digitech projects a similar return for Houston for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which will help the city close a projected $63 million budget gap. “The City Council made a wise decision in Digitech,” states Mayor Annise Parker. “Their direction and support in recovering revenue from the Ambulance Supplemental Payment Program has brought a big payoff for Houston.”

“These results are outstanding,” adds Digitech CEO Mark Schiowitz. “We knew there was the potential for a substantial return from the ASPP, and we knew we could deliver it.” Digitech’s deep specialization in ambulance billing protocols has gained national attention for improving collections in several major municipalities. The company’s detailed reporting and conscientious approach to compliance continue to lead the way to increased revenue for ambulance service providers.

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Case Study: Digitech Goes Live in Four Weeks at Gwinnett Fire and EMS

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Adapted from a Digitech implementation study – full PDF available for view or download here.

Rapid expansion means increased call for services

Gwinnett County, a suburban community of the Metro Atlanta area, has seen rapid population expansion accompanied by increased demand for services. The Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services, formed in 1997, has since expanded as well. Maintaining a dependable revenue source to meet the Department’s rising operating costs became imperative.

Gwinnett issues call for proposals

By 2011, Gwinnett County had identified medical transport billing as a revenue source that might benefit from improved efficiencies. The Department was already using ESO Solutions ePCR software on Panasonic Toughbooks to generate electronic patient care reports from the field, which had brought improvements to the accuracy and completeness of their field data collection. Gwinnett was also using a bank lockbox for direct deposit of remittances to streamline the posting of receipts. Now the need was to speed up submissions – to be able to pull the data from the field reports, review claims and add information if necessary, submit claims to third party providers and receive remittances, all within a shorter time cycle. After extensive research into best practices and in-service solutions deployed at similar departments around the region and nationally, Gwinnett County assembled and issued an RFP for emergency medical billing services. The opportunity was right in the sweet spot for Digitech, who excels in creating process efficiencies for medical transport billing. Digitech knew they would submit a proposal. 

Digitech sees opportunity

“The contract was something we really wanted to pursue as the County is considered a trend setter in the region,” reported Marty McNellis, Director of Business Development for Digitech. “We felt our robust reporting capability would be well received by the Gwinnett Fire Rescue, who were hungry for data and able to make good use of it.”

Digitech’s Ambulance Commander, the proprietary software platform which McNellis describes as “the heart and soul of Digitech’s ability to file claims” has been 25 years in development. “It’s already been integrated with all of the major ePCR applications,” said McNellis, “and has numerous customizable features that enable the Digitech development team to adapt it easily to the particular requirements of any implementation project.” Most importantly, Ambulance Commander’s track record is very solid, and has proven to increase collections with a high degree of success.

Implementation begins

The contract was signed in late November and systems integration began immediately. “This was a fairly smooth transition,” commented Walt Pickett, Digitech’s Senior VP Development and support. “We had a great team to work with on their side – very well organized.” However, Digitech’s implementation was required to meet the benchmarks of the contract, one of which was a January 1 start date. Fortunately, because Digitech had already implemented an interface between the ESO Solutions ePCR software and Ambulance Commander, the deployment team was able to shortcut that piece of integration. The Gwinnett implementation of Ambulance Commander was made operational within four weeks, ready for the “go live” date planned for end of December. At the same time, Digitech account managers were preparing enrollments with third party insurance carriers such as Medicare and Medicaid at the same time they were gathering authorizations for the electronic transfer of remittances. “The credentialing process requires several steps,” reported Mary DelFranco, Digitech’s Senior Account Manager. “By posting payment in this way, it becomes much more efficient compared to keying data in manually.”

Also within this four week period, Joyce Kerulo, Digitech’s Senior VP for Billing Services, and her staff were getting prepared by setting up an organizational structure to handle the account. “One of our strengths is that we are able to process quickly,” she said, “usually within one business day of receiving claims.” Donna Buhler, CPA and Business Manager for the Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services Department, agrees. “Joyce always responded immediately to any of our change orders,” she stated. “She and the Digitech Billing team were always very thorough in everything they did.” As the first ESO ePCR reports were being received from Gwinnett County during the last week in December, Digitech staff began verifying third party insurance information using Digitech’s proprietary search process, Sleuth. Trained coders looked for the compliance issues to ensure third party insurers were being billed for the correct level of service. The first submissions were made to Medicare and Medicaid on January 6th, 2012. Within a window of some 14 days, Gwinnett County began to see remittances deposited into their lockbox account. Digitech’s Director of Finance reported that average monthly receipts between March and August 2012 totaled $1.3 million. 17% of that total was achieved during the first month of operation – January, 2012, and 77% during the second month. By the third month – March, 2012, Gwinnett County was receiving 100% of the $1.3 million average total and has maintained that amount in monthly remittances ever since.

Digitech follows through

“They exceeded our expectations in the way they were able to implement,” said Department Chief Mitch Holder, Battalion Chief, Business Services. “Any time we addressed an issue they were very proactive in delivering solutions, usually within 24 to 48 hours.” Once Digitech had demonstrated it could continue to deliver services as specified in the contract over a significant stretch of time, it was a good moment to cement the relationship with a face-to-face meeting that could help the County to take their reporting, their processes, and their planning to new levels.

“The transparency of Ambulance Commander’s reporting systems allows us to troubleshoot on any issue and about anything,” Chief Holder now says, commenting on the software. “The dashboard is a useful tool. We use it to create financial reports, or to research the age demographics of our patients, or to identify insurance carriers. We’ve seen a change both in the type of patient we transport and an increase in the number of transports. The software enables us to project future needs and build that into our budget process.” Donna Buhler agrees. “The reporting capabilities are extensive and accessible,” she says. “I can pull up any information that I need or drill down to any detail of any individual transport. My monthly reconciliation process is much less of a challenge and goes more smoothly.”

To continue reading the full case study, please click here to view the PDF.

Digitech Compliance Officer Receives National Certification

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Silverman among the first in the nation recognized under new designation

Briarcliff Manor, NY – October 21, 2014 – Digitech Computer, Inc., a leading provider of hosted billing services for ambulance  transport agencies, announced today that Jane Silverman, the company’s Chief Compliance Officer, has received certification from the National Academy of Ambulance Coders as a Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer. Ms. Silverman is among the first class of Compliance Officers to be certified under the new designation.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Obamacare) has brought legal and regulatory compliance front and center for ambulance transport agencies, and the institution of the new CACO program is one way that NAAC is responding to the challenge. Under the PPACA, agencies, institutions, and municipalities that receive reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs are subject to new requirements and regulations around the handling of chronically ill or “Frequent Flyer” patients, new cost containment mandates, and new quality standards for pre-hospital care. The law established Accountable Care Organizations to monitor and control reimbursements for healthcare providers, while also monitoring the quality of care delivered to patients. PPACA also sets up a Medicare Shared Services Program (MSSP), which allows the ACOs to contract directly with Medicare. Providers, including EMS services, that wish to reap the benefits of Accountable Care Organizations will need to examine their processes and procedures carefully in order to maintain compliance.

Having a Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer on your side can provide a tremendous benefit to clients attempting to negotiate this changing healthcare reimbursement landscape. “The CACO training I received has been incredibly valuable to the development of a state of the art, highly professional compliance program at our organization,” states Ms. Silverman. “The depth and breadth of the material presented, along with the strong support of the management team at Digitech, ensures that we have a compliance culture based on solid legal and ethical principles.”

“That culture of compliance will be extended to Digitech’s clients,” adds Mark Schiowitz, President and CEO of Digitech. “We believe it’s our responsibility as a partner to make sure that our clients are engaged, informed, and actively invested in their own compliance programs.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Wins Product Innovation Award

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PCR Lens earns EMS World award

Briarcliff Manor, NY – December 2, 2013 – EMS World magazine, a publication of Cygnus Business Media and voice for the EMS community, has named PCR Lens from Digitech the winner of a 2013 Product Innovations Award. EMS World’s Top Innovation Award Program recognizes companies that have produced new and original products to serve EMS providers, enhance pre-hospital patient care, or deliver better solutions to meet new requirements and emerging market needs. PCR Lens, included with Digitech’s EMS billing service, is a tool for EMS administrators and leaders that provides a means to measure and improve field data collection.

EMS providers find themselves increasingly challenged to capture patient information, document procedures and medications, and write accurate narratives that will support reimbursement and compliance. As private and government insurance providers have become more stringent in their requirements for the documentation of patient care during ambulance transports, the need to deliver complete and accurate patient care reports has become more and more important.

“PCR Lens aggregates the pre-hospital data from each run as it comes across through the Patient Care Report application and puts it into an interactive user interface,” states Walt Pickett II, SVP of Implementation and Support for Digitech. “PCR Lens can then display the data in a variety of user-defined views, making it easy for EMS leaders to zero in on problems, push training and re-education to where it’s needed, and identify high performance individuals and crews.”

“We are pleased that Cygnus has honored our efforts to create a product that serves the Quality Improvement needs of EMS providers” says Mark Schiowitz, Digitech’s CEO and President, “at the same time it helps improve collections for EMS Billing claims. Better data translates into better collections, and that’s a win-win situation.”

“Product Innovation Awards for software have been rare, because most innovations in EMS come in the form of tools and delivery systems for patient care,” said Nancy Perry, Executive Editor for EMS World, “but Digitech’s PCR Lens fills a need that will continue to increase in importance as agencies institute more quality controls in response to tighter regulation of billing for emergency transports.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Projects Major Collections Improvement for Baltimore

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Baltimore City sees immediate improvement with new EMS Billing vendor

Briarcliff Manor, NY – September 30, 2013 – Digitech Computer, Inc. today announced that collections for emergency transports under its contract with the Baltimore City Fire Department have outstripped projections by more than 50%. Based on current run rates, Digitech will collect several million dollars more from 2013 EMS transports than were collected in 2010, the most recent year for which data from fully resolved claims processed by the previous vendor is available. Collections per claim have climbed from $108 per claim in 2010 to a projected $160 per claim in 2013. Digitech began processing claims for Baltimore in December, 2012.  

All municipalities that run EMS operations are entitled to reimbursement for their services from insurance companies, state or federal governments or individuals. But payment is highly dependent on accurate data and claims processing. “The increase in collections is the result of some courageous decisions made by Baltimore officials,” says Mark Schiowitz, CEO of Digitech. “Working with the outstanding leadership of BCFD, we were able to apply Digitech’s industry‐leading technology to deliver vastly improved results at a time when every dollar counts for budget‐constrained cities.”

The Digitech team, working with Baltimore City Fire Chief Alex Perricone, (Deputy Chief of EMS), Chief of Fiscal Services Jim Fischer, and Chief of Staff Steve Nutting drew up a set of recommendations to increase the city’s EMS transport collections rate, which lagged behind the national average. 

—First, the team developed an intensive training program to improve the quality of documentation of patient care by Baltimore EMTs. Deployed in combination with Digitech’s PCR Lens tools, better documentation enabled Baltimore Fire to significantly improve the  accuracy of field data collection, which in turn creates cleaner claims with fewer denials and appeals.

—Second, the team improved accuracy in transferring field data to the billing system, resulting in an immediate 32% increase in the
number of billable claims.

—Third, Baltimore officials established data exchanges with local hospitals that enabled Digitech to download patient insurance and
demographic information directly into the claims creation process.  

—Finally, the Committee deployed a new inventory system for data collection equipment to ensure that EMTs always have updated,
working devices—you can’t process data that you can’t collect.

These procedural and policy improvements, in combination with Digitech’s leading‐edge reporting tools, have enabled Baltimore City
Fire to generate an up‐to the‐second accurate picture of EMS operations and stay on top of the department’s finances. 

“With Digitech’s help, we’ve brought our EMS billing into the 21st Century,” says Jim Fischer. “It took some pushing, and change is never easy, but the results speak for themselves.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Plano Renews Digitech Contract

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City exercises option to extend EMS billing agreement

Briarcliff Manor, NY – July 29, 2013 – Digitech Computer, Inc. announced today the City of Plano, Texas, has extended their contract for EMS Billing and Collections for another year, exercising their option to renew the original 2‐year deal signed in July 2011.

Assistant Chief Jim Dickerson heads up the Emergency Operations Division of Plano Fire‐Rescue and is responsible for the delivery of a range of emergency and non‐emergency services to the Plano community. “Digitech was the right choice for EMS billing for Plano,” states Dickerson. “They combine a technology‐driven approach to ambulance billing with a strong commitment to customer support. It’s been a great partnership.”

Digitech initially came on board to handle EMS billing for Plano in 2011 after the City had completed an exhaustive study of the EMS service operating within the Plano Fire Department. The report made it evident that a top‐tier billing company was required to help Plano Fire‐Rescue address the challenges they faced. Accuracy in billing, thorough followup, and a comprehensive electronic process for filing medical transport claims were clearly called for. Plano’s department is regarded as a national leader by fire administrators, so the opportunity created an opening to make a strong impression in the Texas fire community. Digitech was pleased to step up to the challenge, and the result has been very favorable. “Digitech is as committed to us now as they were in the beginning, and they are as
professional and prompt to respond,” says Sonora Copling, Senior Administrative Assistant for EMS and Training for the city of Plano. “No matter who I speak with, I am treated as if there is no other place that person would rather be than on the phone helping me. I can think of no bigger compliment.”

Walt Pickett, II, SVP of Development and Support for Digitech, says, “The folks at Plano have been really sharp right from the start – asking the right questions, understanding what they needed to do, taking advantage of the tools and services we’ve provided to them – they made my job much easier.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Greenbrier County Goes Live with Digitech

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EMS Billing Service Implementation a Success

Briarcliff Manor, NY – July 15, 2013 – Digitech Computer, Inc. announced today the successful implementation of EMS billing services for Greenbrier County Emergency Ambulance Service. GCEAS, based in Lewisburg, West Virginia, is a major provider of emergency medical care and ambulance transports in Southeast West Virginia. Greenbrier County marks the first client for Digitech in the state of West Virginia.

“The project came off without a major hitch,” said Walt Pickett, II, SVP of Deployment and Support for Digitech. “We got Greenbrier up and running in just under 60 days from contract signing to the go-live date.”

The speedy implementation is a testament to the years of effort that Mr. Pickett and his team of developers and account managers have directed towards creating an efficient plan for delivering a project of this scale. The Greenbrier deployment provided an opportunity for the team to test the new platform that Digitech has developed to manage new client implementations. The platform,  called Pedestal, assigns and tracks every task that is part of implementing a hosted EMS billing service. Those activities include the filing of all necessary payer registration paperwork, the creation of all business rules and patient communications required for a new client, setting up secure links between systems, software customization, and tracking claim status end-to-end. All are required elements to enable an EMS billing company to create and invoice the claims for ambulance transports carried out by the client.

“We’ve found the right EMS billing partner in Digitech,” stated Jerry Kyle, Administrator for Greenbrier County Emergency Ambulance Service. “They have made the on-boarding process very easy for us, and have guided us through every step. Walt and the entire Digitech team have proven themselves to be very professional and very supportive. We look forward to the fulfillment of the business relationship we’ve launched here.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Undertakes Massive IT Upgrade

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Firm gears up to gain speed, reliability, and scalability

Briarcliff Manor, NY – April 9, 2013 – Digitech Computer, Inc. announced today the completion of a large‐scale project to upgrade and improve the company’s Information Technology architecture and systems, marking the culmination of a complex mission to redesign and rebuild its communications and data warehousing infrastructure with virtually no interruption to existing business processes.

Digitech has grown organically for over 28 years, but several factors converged to make this the right time for a major leap forward. Dramatic reductions in the price of hardware, new software that enables near immediate recovery from any hardware failure, and the ability of the .NET release of Ambulance Commander to take advantage of the latest hardware combine to improve reporting and  maximize collections for Digitech’s Ambulance Billing clients.

“While we’ve always been able to sustain growth without sacrificing the instant availability of systems and information that our clients rely upon,” states Ben Lambert, Digitech’s VP of Technology. “We knew that continued growth would require us to upgrade backup systems, remove unnecessary complexity in our IT architecture, optimize hardware utilization, and eliminate potential vulnerabilities. We’ve now moved to a virtualized setup that enables us to add excess capacity whenever we need it with no delays and no downtime.”

Digitech undertook vigorous investigation of current best practices in IT, bringing in consultants and specialists to guide research and validate network designs. Server clusters with failover systems optimized at every point of the communications infrastructure now provide security and reliability that will anchor many years of future growth while eliminating vulnerabilities, trimming access points, and reducing the amount of actual hardware that’s at play in the system by almost 70%. “Our large in‐house development team combined with the increased stability of our systems will enhance our speed to market with new integrations, upgrades, and process changes,” says Walt Pickett II, Digitech’s SVP of Implementation and Support. “We’re ready to serve our clients better and faster.”

“We’re solid as a rock,” replies Mark Schiowitz, Digitech’s CEO and President, adding, “We always say that technology is in our DNA – now we’re stretching our technological lead. We have no key man vulnerability, no vulnerable piece of hardware or equipment, and all systems and processes are now completely hardware‐agnostic.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Readies EMS Data Quality Reports

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PCR Lens creates visibility into EMS operations

Briarcliff Manor, NY – February 25, 2013 – Digitech Computer, Inc. announced today the release of PCR Lens, the latest reporting module for its flagship Ambulance Commander® EMS Billing and Dispatch system. PCR Lens will provide EMS administrators, medical directors, crew chiefs, and business analysts a 360° view of operational effectiveness from the standpoint of field data collection. The system presents an opportunity to collate and analyze field data through a straightforward and intuitive user interface.

As private and government insurance providers have become progressively more stringent in their requirements for the documentation of patient care during ambulance runs, EMS providers have found themselves increasingly challenged to capture patient information, document procedures and medications, and come up with accurate narratives to support reimbursement of transport claims. A single piece of missing information is often the difference between billable and unbillable claims.

“PCR Lens aggregates the prehospital data from each run as it comes across through the Patient Care Report application and puts it into an interactive user interface,” states Walt Pickett II, SVP of Implementation and Support for Digitech. “Ambulance Commander can then display the data in a variety of user-defined views, making it easy for EMS leaders to zero in on problems, push training and  e-education to where it’s needed, and identify high performance individuals and crews.”

“We designed this tool to give administrators the ability to compare how well medics are collecting data, how their data aggregation  kills compare to other techs in the department, and how the entire organization’s data aggregation skills compare to other  unicipalities across the country,” says Mark Schiowitz, Digitech’s CEO and President. He added, “These reports make it possible to identify weaknesses in the data collection process, develop responses to correct those weaknesses, and measure improvement. The end result is a more compliant system and better collections.

“We’re all aware of the need for good data, but we’re piling up mountains of information that we’re not making good use of,” said Kurt Steward, Assistant Director at Dallas Fire Rescue, who was part of the beta test of PCR Lens. “Digitech has provided an extremely  useful set of tools to make sense of that data. We are excited to see how we can make use of the data moving forward as part of our  Quality Improvement Program.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

City of Memphis Re-Ups with Digitech

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City sees $2.5M increase in collections in first year of EMS Billing contract

Briarcliff Manor, NY – January 31, 2013 – Earlier this month, the City of Memphis Division of Fire Services quietly renewed its contract with Digitech Computer, Inc. for the provision of EMS billing services. Under the terms of the contract extension, Digitech will continue to process ambulance transport claims for the approximately 80,000 annual trips undertaken by the EMS Division of the Fire Service for one year, with an option for the City to extend the contract an additional year.

Within one year after signing the 2010 contract for the provision of EMS Billing Services and the implementation of a completely new field data collection system overseen by Digitech, the City of Memphis had already seen a dramatic $2.5M increase in revenue from collections. Not only that, but the City’s EMS personnel had come to believe that the new system was contributing to improved levels of care for patients.

Michael T. Mannion, VP of Finance for Digitech, attributes the increase in ambulance reimbursement revenue to several key factors.  “We did what we always do, which is to change the payer mix by finding more insurance and turn most claims into invoices within 24 hours of receiving them.” In addition, an analysis of the surrounding area and prevailing national trends indicated that a rate increase was in order for Memphis.

The initial jump in collections during the first year of the contract has continued into the second and third years. In 2011, the first full fiscal year after Digitech took over EMS billing, collections increased 18% over fiscal 2010, and in fiscal 2012 collections again increased – this time by almost 25%.

“Digitech’s technology has given the EMS Division of Memphis Fire Services an edge that they did not know was possible. We’ve moved their ambulance claims processing into the 21st Century,” stated Mark Schiowitz, President and CEO of Digitech. In addition to better data collection in the field through the implementation of the ImageTrend Field Bridge system, Digitech’s deep reporting capability and realtime dashboards give EMS administrators at Memphis an unparalleled view of the activities and status of their operations.

“We couldn’t be happier with Digitech,” says Gary Ludwig, Deputy Fire Chief for EMS at Memphis Fire Services. “Completely aside from the increase in collections, the people at Digitech have been very responsive whenever any type of issue has arisen, and have implemented custom features and specialized reports whenever we asked for them. There’s no question that the partnership has led to better care for our patients and better standards of care across our department.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Undertakes $5M Baltimore EMS Contract

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City expects to reap rewards of maximum collections efficiency   

Briarcliff Manor, NY – December 11, 2012 – Digitech Computer Inc. today announced that implementation of their agreement with Baltimore City Fire Department has been completed and that processing of medical transport claims by the firm has been successfully initiated.  Under the contract, Digitech will provide EMS billing services to Baltimore, and the City expects to maximize revenue from collections for ambulance transport services. The City’s Board of Estimates oversaw the bid process and the in‐depth evaluation and discussion process subsequent to the April 5th award. 

The award survived a challenge from the previous provider, who lost their bid to renew the current contract. “We’re looking forward to our partnership with Digitech,” stated Kevin Cartwright, Public Information Officer for Baltimore City Fire Department. “We expect that their contribution to our bottom line will enable substantial improvements to the level of care and service that the Baltimore City Fire Department can provide to the 650,000 people who live, work, and play here.”

“Digitech’s technological approach to EMS billing was key for us,” commented Alexander J. Perricone, Deputy Chief, EMS, for the Baltimore City Fire Department. “We realized we needed a billing solution that was both efficient and scalable, and we’re confident in Digitech’s ability to cover our needs now and into the future. Their advanced billing systems will take a load off of the Department’s shoulders and ultimately enable us to put more resources into training and equipment.”

Digitech’s highly trained EMS billing services team relieves their clients of the day‐to‐day responsibilities of processing and filing ambulance transport claims, providing them with more freedom to run their operations. The Company has been offering technology and billing services to the medical transportation industry since 1984.

Mark Schiowitz, President of Digitech Computer Inc., responded, “Baltimore Fire can count on us. Through our services we can help ensure that the City’s firefighters and paramedics are concentrating on what they do best – taking care of patients – while we handle the administrative duties and deliver increased revenue from collections.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Success Story: City of Burnsville, Minnesota

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Six years of continuous improvement in EMS Billing

Briarcliff Manor, NY – October 10, 2012 – Digitech Computer, Inc. reported today that at the close of the year, the firm will have successfully completed six years of providing EMS Billing services for the City of Burnsville. During their tenure, the City has experienced improvements in a number of areas over the performance of the previous billing vendor, including account documentation, record accessibility, and overall service to patients, families, and staff.

“Digitech’s leadership is responsive and proactive,” stated Deb Oxborough, Senior Administrative Assistant for the City of Burnsville Fire and EMS, “and we look forward to another year of excellent service.”

Burnsville has found Digitech’s in-depth reporting to be particularly comprehensive and effective. Monthly statements delivered to clients include data that is presented visually as well as in spreadsheet form to provide snapshot graphics of overall activity supported by detailed accounting data.

The graphic in the attached release, constructed from Digitech report data, shows cumulative monthly cash receipts over the past three years.

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech Successfully Completes SOC 1 Type II Audit

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Passes first independent services audit under new standard

Briarcliff Manor, NY – September 10, 2012 – Digitech Computer, Inc. reported today that they successfully completed the Service Organization Controls (SOC) 1SM Type II Audit, which is based on the next generation of American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) standards for reporting on controls at service organizations in the United States.

The successful completion of the SOC 1SM audit solidifies Digitech’s position as a clear industry leader in medical transportation billing, having demonstrated that comprehensive and effective operational controls are in place to monitor and validate business processes related to claims processing, billing, collections, cash application, information technology, and physical and logical security systems.

SSAE 16 (Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16) replaces the SAS 70 (Statement of Auditing Standards No. 70) and goes beyond it by requiring the auditor to obtain a written assertion from management regarding the design and operating effectiveness of the controls being reviewed. Under the new AICPA reporting standards, an audit that is conducted under SSAE 16
standards will result in a Service Organization Control (SOC) 1SM report.

“We are pleased to achieve this measure of confidence in our systems and controls,” stated Joyce Kerulo, Senior VP of Billing Services for Digitech Computer.

“Digitech’s unqualified SOC 1 opinion assures our clients and their auditors that best practices are employed throughout the EMS billing process.”

Digitech’s SOC 1SM audit was conducted by WithumSmith+Brown, PC, Certified Public Accountants and Consultants (www.withum.com). Withum, a provider of quality service and innovative solutions for more than 35 years, is one of the largest regional public accounting and consulting firms along the mid-Atlantic corridor. With 14 offices and 450 employees, WS+B ranks among the top 33 CPA firms nationwide, and whose professional expertise in accounting, tax and consulting has repeatedly assisted businesses in realizing their full potential.

Mr. Tony Chapman, Engagement Partner and Practice Leader for SOC Engagements for WithumSmith+Brown, said, “The successful completion of its SOC 1SM audit is a significant accomplishment for Digitech. This audit report will provide the Company’s clients with an in-depth understanding of its internal controls relevant to them.”

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Stratford to Partner with Digitech for EMS Billing Services

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Five‐year contract to bring new efficiency and increased revenue from ambulance billing

Briarcliff Manor, NY – July 5, 2012– The Town of Stratford, CT signed a deal today awarding the contract for EMS Billing Services to Digitech Computer, Inc.  Under the new contract, with an initial term of one year and up to four years of renewals, Digitech will handle all billing for ambulance transports provided by Stratford EMS. The Town expects to see increased revenue from collections for ambulance services. The Office of the Purchasing Agent for the Town of Stratford oversaw the bid process and the subsequent in‐depth evaluation and discussions.

The contract results from an independent review of the Stratford Emergency Medical Services Department commissioned in late 2010 by Mayor John A. Harkins, the Town Council, and the EMS Funding Committee to improve the financial position and overall operations of Stratford EMS. That study identified outsourcing of ambulance billing and records services as one of several proposed
improvements intended to strengthen Stratford EMS as a self‐sustaining department.

“Digitech’s experience and reputation were important factors in our decision to partner with them,” stated Phil Onofrio, Stratford EMS Director. “Their reliability, efficiency, and proven technological approach to ambulance billing will guide our efforts to improve collection rates and to negotiate the complex and ever‐changing set of state and federal guidelines for EMS billing.”

“We’re expecting a lot from Digitech,” said Stratford Mayor John Harkins. “Stratford EMS is a dedicated, hard‐working group of individuals, and they deserve to have a dedicated, hard‐working team of professionals covering collections for the services they provide to our community. We expect that improvements to our bottom line will enable Stratford EMS to increase our response rate, respond to more calls, and provide better emergency medical service to our constituents without any additional
burden to the taxpayer.”

Digitech’s team of highly trained EMS billing representatives, editors, coders, verifiers, Medicare and Medicaid specialists, dedicated account reps, programmers, and project managers relieves their partners of day‐to‐day ambulance billing, providing them with more freedom to run their operations.

The Company has been offering technology and billing services to the medical transportation industry since 1984.

“Stratford EMS is moving in the right direction to confront the challenges that many municipalities face in the current economic environment,” said Mark Schiowitz, President of Digitech. “We can help ensure that Stratford’s medics and first responders can continue to widen their net of coverage without requiring any new funding sources.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Digitech commences EMS Billing Services for the City of Dallas Fire-Rescue

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EMS billing services contract will bring increased efficiency to Dallas Fire‐Rescue

Briarcliff Manor, NY – June 4, 2012– Digitech Computer Inc. today announced that processing of medical transportation billing for the City of Dallas Fire‐Rescue Department has commenced under the terms of the contract signed earlier this year. Digitech will provide EMS billing services to process 67,000 transports annually. Digitech’s expects their billing systems will dramatically increase revenue from collections for ambulance services in the City of Dallas.

“We are excited about our new partnership with Digitech,” stated Jason Evans, Public Information Officer for Dallas Fire‐Rescue. “Their reputation in the industry precedes itself, and we look forward to a productive working relationship which complements our long‐standing tradition of quality customer service.”

“Better technology means better care in the field,” commented Walter Pickett, Jr., VP of Deployment and Support for Digitech. “Firefighters and paramedics need to focus on saving lives, not writing reports or organizing paperwork. Our advanced EMS billing systems will take a load off of Dallas Fire‐Rescue’s shoulders and lead to more efficiency and better standards of care for their patients.”

Digitech’s highly trained EMS billing services team relieves their clients and partners of day‐to‐day ambulance billing, providing them with more freedom to run their operations. The Company has been offering technology and billing services to the medical transportation industry since 1984.

Mark Schiowitz, President of Digitech Computer Inc., reported, “We are delighted to be able to develop a dedicated EMS billing solution for the Dallas Fire‐Rescue Department.  Through our services we can help ensure that Dallas firefighters and paramedics are concentrating on their jobs – taking care of patients – while we handle paperwork and deliver a significant increase in revenue.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.

Gwinnett County Announces Contract with Digitech for EMS Billing Services

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EMS billing services contract means increased efficiency for Gwinnett County

Briarcliff Manor, NY — March 13, 2012 — Gwinnett County, Georgia, released its 2012 annual contracts list, naming Digitech Computer, Inc. as the recipient of the award for Ambulance Billing Services for the Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services.  The contract is for a one year term with four additional one year renewal options. Gwinnett County, located in Northeast Metro Atlanta, is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the US, and is projected to have a population of more than 860,000 residents by 2015. County officials, aware of growing needs for emergency transport services, were seeking a more effective billing solution that could integrate efficiently with the county’s existing electronic patient care reporting system and scale up easily with the county’s anticipated growth. Digitech won the contract against the bids of eight other competitors, including some of the largest service providers in the EMS billing industry.

Chief Bill Myers of the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services noted that he looks forward to improved efficiency in claims processing. “Digitech impressed us with a comprehensive approach to our particular needs and requirements,” he said, “We expect that understanding will translate into greatly improved efficiency for our ambulance billing.”

“Quality of patient care, accuracy and security of patient records, and efficient handling of claims are all very important to Gwinnett,” commented Assistant Chief Dan Hansen, the Department’s Director of Business Services. “We look forward to seeing continued improvements in each of these critical areas.”

Digitech’s highly trained EMS billing services team relieves the client of day‐to‐day ambulance billing responsibilities, providing more freedom for them to run their operations. The Company has been offering technology and billing services to the medical transportation industry since 1984.

Mark Schiowitz, President of Digitech Computer Inc., said in response to the announcement, “We are pleased that we can support Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services with a dedicated EMS billing solution.  We can help ensure that Gwinnett’s firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics will be able to focus more time and attention on the things they do best – responding to emergencies and providing quality patient care – while we handle the administrative duties and improve revenue from collections.”

To view this press release as a PDF, please click here.