[Adopted 9-13-2010 by Ord. No. 571]
[Amended 3-9-2020 by Ord. No. 685; 4-28-2025 by Ord. No. 768]
The Borough of Buena provides emergency medical services through the Division of Emergency Medical Services to citizens and visitors of the Borough of Buena on a twenty-four-hour basis throughout the year to the extent that such resources are available.
All persons needing EMS services within the Borough of Buena shall be serviced to the extent that such services are available without discrimination on any basis, and without respect to residency, ability to pay, or any other factor. No person located within the Borough of Buena at the time emergency medical services are needed shall be denied or delayed available service when such services are available.
The Borough of Buena, through the Division of Emergency Medical Services and a third-party billing agent (retained by the Borough of Buena for purposes of seeking payment for the provision of emergency services), shall maintain accurate records of all of requests for service, service calls, and services approved by the Division of EMS. Said records shall include pertinent information about the general nature of the call and shall identify the complete name, mailing address, place of domicile, location and telephone numbers of all persons requesting and receiving the EMS services, as well as all pertinent and available insurance information.
[Amended 3-9-2015 by Ord. No. 627; 3-9-2020 by Ord. No. 685; 4-28-2025 by Ord. No. 768]
The Borough of Buena shall contract with a third-party billing agent for the collection of payment for services rendered by the Division of EMS. Said bill shall be issued to the insurance company for the person served, if any, or directly to the person served if insurance coverage is not available. Fees to be charged for the EMS services shall be as follows:
A. 
Ambulance transportation: $1,150.
B. 
Basic life support mileage: $24 per loaded mile.
C. 
Oxygen administration: $75.
D. 
Automatic external defibrillator (AED) pads: $75.
E. 
Cervical collars: $25.
F. 
Treatment but transport refusal: $150.
G. 
Naloxone (Narcan) administration: $75.
H. 
Epinephrine administration: $140.
I. 
Glucose administration: $5.
J. 
Aspirin administration: $5.
K. 
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) administration: $75.
L. 
Albuterol administration: $10.
[Amended 3-9-2020 by Ord. No. 685; 4-28-2025 by Ord. No. 768]
Persons receiving a bill for the EMS services shall make payment to the Borough of Buena third-party billing agent within 30 days; or provide proof that they have submitted a claim to their insurance carrier for payment within 30 days of receipt of a bill. These provisions shall be subject to the following:
A. 
Persons receiving the EMS service who have health insurance to cover ambulance and emergency medical services are expected to cooperate with the Borough of Buena's third-party billing agent to secure full payment for services rendered.
B. 
In the event the health insurance company of a taxpayer or domiciled resident does not pay the bill in full, the Borough of Buena will accept such partial payment to the extent of the insured's policy limits, including deductible and co-insurance requirements, as payment in full.
C. 
Due to the time requirements for the preparation and processing of insurance claims, interest shall not be charged on Borough of Buena's billings.
D. 
After providing emergency medical services, the Borough of Buena shall transmit all pertinent billing information to the Borough of Buena's third-party billing agent for collection as set forth in Subsection E below. The third-party billing agent shall be responsible for receipt of payment and proper recordkeeping of its collections as provided in its contract with the Borough of Buena. Payments received by the third-party billing agent shall, thereafter, be transmitted electronically to a designated account of the Borough of Buena to be administrated by the Borough Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In addition, the third-party billing agent shall transmit monthly a deposit report to the Chairperson of the Safety Committee for review and approval and a copy of the deposit report to the Borough CFO and the EMS Chief. The third-party billing agent shall prepare a reconciliation report for monthly review by the EMS Chief. The EMS Chief shall monitor the operations of the third-party billing agent, including billing activities and receipt of funds.
E. 
The third-party billing agent shall be responsible for the initial billing and at least two follow-up billings. Costs associated with the third-party reimbursement requests shall be based solely on a percent of reimbursement collections as provided in its contract with the Borough of Buena. After at least three attempts to collect said claim, any delinquent accounts will be reviewed with the Borough of Buena and those accounts approved by the Borough of Buena will be sent to a third-party collection agency by the billing company. Collection fees will be paid by the Borough of Buena. The billing company will track and report all payments received by the collections service and will be paid its percentage of the net proceeds from collections. The Borough of Buena reserves the right to determine that a bill is uncollectible and should be written off.
For the purposes of emergency medical service charges, the following definitions shall apply:
DEPENDENT
A. 
Any individual who is the spouse or an unemancipated child (natural, adopted or stepchild) of a taxpayer or domiciled resident as defined in this section;
B. 
Any unemancipated child for whom the taxpayer or year-round resident has been appointed legal guardian;
C. 
Any individual who resides in a permanent domicile of the taxpayer of domiciled resident and is claimed as a dependent for federal income tax purposes; or
D. 
Any individual who resides in the permanent domicile of the taxpayer or domiciled resident, and who is deemed to be a dependent under the health insurance policy of the taxpayer or domiciled resident.
DOMICILED RESIDENT
Any individual whose legal domicile is within the Borough of Buena. Verification of domicile shall be based on voter registration, a State of New Jersey Driver's license, proof of filing a State of New Jersey income tax return from a Borough of Buena address or other proofs accepted under federal guidelines.
TAXPAYER
Any individual listed on the deed of ownership of any property located within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Buena and their dependents as defined in this section. In the case of corporation, partnership, only those individuals retaining a 25% or greater ownership shall be considered a taxpayer. For the purpose of determining a 25% or greater ownership, adult married or civil union partners may combine their ownership. "Dependent" as defined in this section shall be considered a taxpayer.