§ 7-43. Charges for ambulance use.

(a)

Pursuant to M.G.L.A. c. 40, § 5F, the city is hereby establishing charges for the use of the city's ambulance service.

(b)

Based upon the cost of providing municipal ambulance service as of November, 1990, a fee of $175.00 per each use is established and shall continue hereafter unless adjusted as provided herein. Pursuant to the provisions of M.G.L.A. c. 40, § 22F, which are hereby accepted in order to effectuate the purposes as set forth herein, the city fire commission is hereby empowered and authorized, pursuant to its authority to promulgate rules and regulations for the operation of the ambulance service under section 7-41, to adjust the fee as adopted herein from time to time hereafter as, in its discretion, such adjustment is required. The authority as granted to the fire commission shall include the authority to adopt a fee schedule which sets a base rate for basic life support ambulance service with additional separate fees for services generally recognized within the health care community as advanced, specialized ambulance services; provided, however, that no fee for an advanced, specialized service shall be adopted until such time as the municipal ambulance service is capable of providing such service. In no event shall the fee for basic life support service nor the additional fee or fees for an advanced, specialized service or services exceed the maximum fee allowance or allowances for ambulance services in urban Massachusetts as established by the federal government, or its designee, for ambulance services subject to Medicare reimbursement. Any fee adjustment as adopted by the fire commission shall require a unanimous vote of the commission members prior to taking, and in order to take effect.

(Ord. No. 978, 5-19-88; Ord. No. 1051, 12-6-90; Ord. No. 1119, § B, 10-21-93)