News

Rural/Metro Facing Penalties in Tenn.

Gerald Witt

10/22/2015

Oct. 23--Rural/Metro faced penalties by Knox County after a review of the company's August performance, but neither the county nor Rural/Metro officials say it's cause for major alarm.

"I think they're doing OK," Knox County health Department Director Dr. Martha Buchanan said Thursday. "They are working hard to provide the best service they can."

The service level of the county's ambulance provider has been scrutinized since problems with Rural/Metro missing 10-minute response time minimums, staffing and other issues over the summer.

"They're working to improve staffing, they're working to improve recruitment," Buchanan said. "We had only one level zero this past month, which is an improvement."

Level zero situations are times when there are no Rural/Metro ambulances available for calls. The company was fined for that occurrence as part of a total of $23,000 in fines related to service in August.

The fines came for a handful of long response times of 17 minutes or more, along with one level zero occurrence.

"And just like me they would like to not have any level zeros," Buchanan said. "I don't know that there have been any time they've not had fines for the other stuff."

Response times earlier this year had dipped below the threshold of 90 percent of calls being answered by a unit. If that happens three months in a row, the county can begin effort to find a new ambulance provider. In August that compliance rate had improved to 90.9 percent.

The contract is not in jeopardy, Buchanan said.

Meanwhile, Rural/Metro regional director Erin Downey said the contractor's response times have improved, and they're offering signing bonuses for new recruits to help staff more shifts.

"We had a good month," Downey said. "We strive to do the very best we can and we continue to see improvement with response time performance."

On July 1, Knox County officials sent a letter to Rural/Metro demanding action to improve response times, address staffing for shifts and to explain their calls for mutual aid. The letter from Knox County Purchasing Director Hugh Holt also pinpointed two instances in April when Rural/Metro had no ambulances available.

County officials and Rural/Metro staff have said those level zero events did not affect actual emergency response, as backup plans are in place to send mutual aid ambulances in those times. Also, first-responders such as firefighters typically arrive before ambulances, they said.

But the letter did spark scrutiny of the county's longtime ambulance provider, and started a conversation on how Rural/Metro could improve.

"We feel that thing s are moving in the right direction," Downey said. "One of the things that this has brought out is a much more collaborative relationship with the Knox County Health Department. We're working together toward what the issues are."