EMSA Gets Oklahoma City Nod; Fate Rests on Tulsa`s Answer

The fate of the Emergency Medical Services Authority is in Tulsa's hands after Oklahoma City officials voted Tuesday to keep the ambulance service for another five years.

It is now up to Tulsa to do the same or the authority dissolves, said Tina Wells, EMSA spokeswoman.

Mayor Kathy Taylor said her responsibility is to the citizens of Tulsa and those in the surrounding service areas of Sand Springs, Jenks and Bix by.

"Our decision is about Tulsa and quality of care and we're looking at that in an operational and financial standpoint," she said.

Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa have been offered options of moving ambulance service to their fire departments.

Both cities in October agreed to extend a deadline for deciding on extending the authority to Jan. 31 to further analyze the options.

If Tulsa's City Council takes no action by Jan. 31, the renewal of the au thority's five-year trust will be automatic.

Deputy Mayor Tom Baker said he hopes the mayor will have a draft report comparing EMSA and the Fire Department before the upcoming holidays.

The mayor will then assess the patient care and the economic aspects before she makes a decision, he said.

Baker said the mayor has been in meetings where EMSA and the Fire Department gave their presentations and where the Medical Control Board expressed its concern as to quality of care issues and what the standards ought to be.

Wells said that Oklahoma City's council decided that EMSA is the leader for quality of care and efficiency.

"We're hopeful that Tulsa will follow Oklahoma City's lead," she said.

In October, the Tulsa Fire Department claimed it could save the city $11 million over five years by taking over the service.

EMSA has asked the city to subsidize it by $1.8 million this fiscal year and predicts the increase will rise next year due to the decrease in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

EMSA, a public-private partnership, was established in Tulsa in 1977. It provides ambulance service for 1.1 million people through a trust agreement.

If the trust is not renewed, all the entities with EMSA service will have to provide their own.

P.J. Lassek 581-8382

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.