March 22, 2017
Mohawk Valley Ambulance Corps (MOVAC) announced today that the organization has again entered a partnership with Priority Billing to provide billing services for its nearly 9,000 annual medical transports.
“Priority Billing has been a partner of MOVAC for more than a decade,” said Richard Souza, president of the MOVAC Board of Directors. “Working with a trusted long-term partner like Priority allows us to be confident that our billing is being conducted correctly and efficiently.”
MOVAC is a nonprofit agency with a volunteer board of directors and a paid staff of 14 emergency medical technicians, 19 paramedics and two critical care paramedics. MOVAC’s primary coverage area includes the town and village of Herkimer, the village of Mohawk and the town of German Flatts. The EMS service is the largest ambulance company in Herkimer County and provides its services at no cost to local taxpayers.
Board President Richard Souza joined MOVAC in 2016 and has led the organization in upgrades and innovations that will improve emergency medical care in the region. In 2016, the agency added electrocardiogram heart monitors to its fleet for better cardiac response and ventilators for the ability to transport intubated patients to referring medical facilities. The agency also recently began a fly car system that will allow MOVAC paramedics to respond to emergency calls within the Frankfort Fire Department and Schuyler Volunteer Fire Company districts.
“MOVAC is increasing efficiencies and creating new programs to better serve our patients,” said Souza. “Renewing our partnership with Priority Billing is part of that effort and allows our team to continue to focus on what’s most important: serving our patients and protecting our community.”
“Because Priority Billing exclusively works in EMS billing and is owned by a national ambulance company, we better understand the EMS industry and our clients’ unique challenges,” said Bob Jewell, vice president of revenue cycle management at Priority Billing. “This allows our team to develop customized solutions to help MOVAC maximize its revenue, so the agency can invest its revenues back into lifesaving equipment, vehicles and staffing to serve the community.”
Priority Billing is owned by Priority Ambulance, a national ambulance network and parent company of Kunkel Ambulance which operates in the Mohawk Valley. Priority Billing’s New York office is co-located with Kunkel Ambulance in Utica and is staffed with certified ambulance compliance officers (CACO) and certified ambulance coders.
Because Priority Billing has served the Mohawk Valley community for more than a decade, the company has built strong relationships with local medical facilities and hospitals and use these relationships to increase and streamline revenue generation. In New York, Priority Billing collection rates well exceed industry averages.
As part of its partnership, Priority Billing also offers regular training with MOVAC ambulance crews on proper patient documentation, HIPAA compliance, federal and state regulations and ever-changing health care and reimbursement regulations. Priority Billing also compiles and provides regular billing reports to demonstrate increased efficiency and percentage of collections, as well as identifies opportunities to continued improvements.
About Priority Billing
Priority Billing partners with ambulance companies, fire departments and first responder agencies to maximize revenue for medical transport. Priority’s integrated billing and information management services affect the bottom line and improve clinical results. Priority Billing’s team includes billing experts certified by the National Academy of Ambulance Coding (NAAC), including Certified Ambulance Coders (CAC) and Certified Ambulance Compliance Officers (CACO). By taking care of the billing and insurance paperwork, Priority Billings allows clients to focus on what is most important — patient care. Priority Billing serves a national client network from billing offices in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Utica, New York.