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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIL020 Interlocal Agreement INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT PROVIDING AMBULANCE SERVICE (Clarification) THIS AGREEMENT is made to be effective as of the 2nd day of MARCH , 1998, between the City of Anacortes, Washington("the City"), a municipal corporation, and Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 2, ("the District"), d/b/a Island Health Northwest a municipal corporation. RECITALS 1. The City has the power under RCW 35, .306 to authorize the operation of municipally owned ambulances which may serve the City and may serve surrounding rural areas for emergencies. The City has been providing emergency medical services to the City and surrounding areas. 2. The District has the authority under RCW 70.44.060 to provide ambulance service within its boundaries. The District owns ambulances and related equipment and has been providing ambulance service within its boundaries. 3. The City and the District have studied jointly and have been acting jointly to furnish ambulance service to the area encompassed within the District, including that area within the corporate limits of the City. 4. A cooperatively managed ambulance service is necessary to promote and protect the public health, safety and general welfare of the area encompassed within the District and the City and will permit the most efficient and effective use of mutual resources. 1 5. The City and the District are authorized to enter into an agreement for joint or cooperative action to serve and benefit their constituents. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual promises contained herein, the mutual benefits to be derived, and the public interest to be served, it is agreed as follows: 1 Section 1. Service to be Provided and Definitions 1.1 Full-time ambulance emergency service shall be provided within the area encompassed by the District, including that area within the corporate limits of the City. 1.2 Definitions. 1.2.1 (a) Emergency ALS Transfer- Unscheduled interagency transport of a patient for the purpose of rendering immediate medical aid to the patient when time and level of supervision are critical factors in well-being of patient. (b) Routine ALS or BLS transfers -Non-emergency scheduled transport of a patient to or from hospital or to or from other health care facilities, including physician offices. (c) Emergency Response -Response to a 911 request for pre- hospital work to provide immediate medical aid to a patient when time and level of supervision could be critical factors in well-being of patient. (d) Ambulance/Emergency Service - all ambulance service 2 including emergency response, emergency ALS transfer, and routine ALS or BLS transfers. (e) Medical Service Officer - An officer within the structure of the fire department that has primary responsibilities for the operational supervision of the District and City ambulance services. (l) ALS -Advanced Life Support- Paramedic level service initiating care and treatment involving intravenous fluids, cardiac drugs, advanced airway techniques, and cardiac monitoring within the scope of practice dictated by Skagit County ALS Protocols. (g) BLS-Basic Life Support -Personnel certified at least at the First Responder level by the State of Washington to provide basic initial evaluation, care, and stabilization until the patient is transferred to a higher standard of care. (h) Pre-Hospital -Routine or emergency response and care provided to patients before being admitted to a hospital. 2 Section 2. Administration 2.1 The ambulance/emergency service to be provided under this Agreement shall be coordinated by the Fire Chief for the City of Anacortes. 2.2 The Medical Services Officer appointed by the Fire Chief shall be responsible for overseeing the coordination of the ambulance emergency service with each party being responsible for overseeing the internal operation of the service they are providing under this Agreement. The 3 operation and management of the ambulance/emergency service shall be conducted in accordance with written protocols for ambulance service to be established by the Medical Services Officer after receiving the advice and assistance of the District's Medical Control Physician as appointed by the Skagit County Medical Program Director. The Medical Services Officer shall be responsible for making reports and recommendations to the Fire Chief on the following matters: the nature and extent of the ambulance/emergency service; financial implications of operating the service; funding options available for the service; and budgets for the service. 3 Section 3. Responsibilities of the City 3.1 The City shall provide full-time emergency response service as defined herein. The City shall provide backup transfer services whenever hospital personal are unavailable and between 5:00 P.M. and 8:00 A.M., Monday through Thursday. 3.2 The City's dispatch service shall be responsible for providing dispatch services for the City's ambulance service only. District shall provide dispatch service for transfers involving its ambulance. 3.3 Except as provided in Section 5 of this Agreement, the City shall fund and pay the expense of providing ambulance service required to be provided by the City under this Agreement from whatever sources the City Council of the City deems appropriate. 4 3.4 The City shall establish and maintain a budget for the ambulance service and shall establish in that budget the manner of financing for the ambulance service. 3.5 The City shall be responsible for the purchase, operating, and maintenance of the ambulances and associated equipment needed to provide the ambulance service required to be provided by the City under this Agreement. 3.6 The City agrees to provide mutual aid to the District and the District agrees to provide mutual aid to the City when necessary. 4 Section 4. Responsibilities of the District 4.1 The District shall pay a sum each year to the City for ambulance service. This sum is to be calculated and paid in accordance with the terms of Section 5 of this Agreement. These payments by the District shall constitute the District's sole obligation to pay the City for providing ambulance service under this Agreement. 4.2 The City shall set all rates for ambulance service provided under this Agreement. The City shall notify the District in writing at least thirty (10) days before the effective date. 4.3 The District shall be responsible for billing individuals for ambulance service provided by the City under this Agreement. The documentation of ambulance service provided shall be submitted to the District by the City within twenty-four (24) hours of each instance of providing ambulance 5 service under this Agreement. Documentation should include basic information required to bill patient as established by the Hospital Patient Accounts Department. 4.4 The District shall provide the necessary laundry service, first aid supplies, oxygen, and other similar operational supplies needed for the ambulance service. These supplies shall be provided at the district's cost for such supplies and the District shall bill individuals receiving such supplies based upon documentation of the use of such supplies submitted to the District by the City. This documentation shall be submitted to the District by the City within twenty-four (24)hours of the use of such supplies. 4.5 The District shall be responsible for the collection of all payments for ambulance services rendered and supplies provided and shall be entitled to retain all such payments which are collected, subject to paragraph 5.1 herein. 4.6 The District shall provide personnel for routine transfers after having consulted with the Medical Services Officer. 4.7 The District shall be primarily responsible to provide routine transfer services from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday and 24 hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of each week. In the event District personnel are not available, the City shall provide back-up transfer services. 5 Section 5. Payments Due to the City from the District 6 5.1 The basic method of payment to be followed by the District will be to pay to the City moneys remaining after having deducted necessary costs from acquired revenues. For the purpose of this Agreement"necessary costs" shall be defined as contractual allowances, accounts payable, bad debts, salary for billers' and ambulance drivers and benefits, maintenance, repairs, and replacement for the District's ambulance, supplies and applicable overhead. Costs for replacement or substantial repair of District's Ambulance shall be amortized over the estimated usefullife of the ambulance or the repairs in accordance with generally accepted accounting principals. 5.2 Beginning with the year 1988 and each succeeding year thereafter, sufficiency of amounts to be paid to the City and applicability of the existing formula thereto will be reassessed by the parties on an annual basis. 5.3 Payments shall be made in quarterly installments on the following dates: March 30th, June 30th, September 30th, December 30th. 6 Section 6. District Boundary Changes 6.1 The City shall not be obligated to provide ambulance service to areas annexed to the District after the effective date of this Agreement unless the City agrees in writing to serve such areas. 7 Section 7. Review, Modification, Termination, Effective Date, and Duration 7 7.1 This Agreement is subject to review and approval each year on or before the December 31st anniversary. 7.2 No amendment or modification of this Agreement, including any additions or deletions, shall be effective unless approved and executed by the parties in the same form and manner as, and subject to the remaining provisions of, this Agreement. 7.3 This Agreement is effective as of the day and year first written above and shall continue in full force and effect until December 31, 1998. 8 Section S. Disposition of Assets Upon Termination. 8.1 Should this Agreement be terminated or not renewed, ownership of all assets listed on the attached Schedule A still owned by the City shall be transferred to the District within ten(10) days of such termination without charge to the District by the City. Ownership of any additional assets acquired by the City to replace or upgrade the assets initially furnished by the District shall also be transferred to the District within ten (10) days of such termination without charge to the District by the City. In the event of such termination, the City shall perform all acts and execute all documents necessary to transfer legal title to the then existing ambulance and related equipment to the District, and by concurrence of the Skagit County E.M.S. Council. Upon termination of this contract and re-transfer of assets to the District by the City, the District agrees to assume the obligation of providing ambulance service. In the event the District reassumes the 8 obligation of providing ambulance service,the City agrees to cooperate with the District in determining what portion, if any, of County EMS funds might be paid to the District for the services they are assuming. 9 Section 9. Notice 9.1 All notices and payments relating to this Agreement shall be made at the following addresses, unless the other party is otherwise previously notified in writing: Att. Fire Chief City of Anacortes P.Q. Box 547 Anacortes, WA 98221 Att. District Superintendent Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 2 Island Health Northwest 1211 - 24th Street Anacortes, WA 98221 10 Section 10. Non-Assignability 10.1 This Agreement shall insure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and assigns of the parties, and is not intended to confer rights or benefits upon any third parties. This Agreement may not be assigned by either party without prior written consent of both the parties. Any attempt to assign or transfer any of the rights, duties or obligations of this Agreement without such consent is void. 9 11 Section 11. Duty Created 11.1 Nothing herein contained shall create any duty on the part of the City or District to any particular person or individual but only to each other and the public at large. 12 Section 12. Severability 12.1 If any term or condition of this Agreement or application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not effect other terms, conditions or applications of this Agreement which can be given effect without the valid term, condition or application. 13 Section 13. Integration 13.1 This Agreement is a complete and exclusive settlement of the agreement between the parties and supersedes all proposals or prior agreements, or written, and all other communications between the parties relating to the subject matter of this Agreement. 10 EXECUTED at Anacortes, Washington to be effective as of the day and year first above written. SKAGIT COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL DISTRICT NO. 2, d/b/a ISLAND HEALTH NORTHWEST Chief Executive Offic Not required Secretary of the Board of Commissioners CITY OF ANACORTES, WASHINGTON By: H. Dean Maxwell, Ma or ATTEST: c;7"7 Geo e Khtaian, City Clerk Treasurer 11