Not quite back to the horse drawn car, but more than half a Century ago.
Would you like Oxygen?
An Ambulance ride to any Hospital in the City cost $37.75 for the ride, if you were picked up inside of the City. That's about $150 in 2017 Dollars. Patients going top Park Ridge a few miles outside the City got hit with an extra $22.50 charge for mileage, as did patients picked up outside of the City. Dispatchers were on making sure the EXTRA was charged when you called in route to Hospital. Really lucky patients who got picked up out of the City limits and hauled to Park Ridge paid more in EXTRAS than they did for the ride.
Junior found a loophole in his Contract with the City, an additional $10.00 could be charged for patients when Oxygen was administered. Big Meeting time. All crews were strongly advised to encourage patients to use Oxygen. No opportunity was to be missed to slap the plastic funnel on any patient headed for the Hospital. Every gurney was equipped with a minibottle and mask too. You loaded a woman with a sprained ankle because her heal got caught in a sewer grate, get her on Oxygen. Patient says it hurts, respond with "would you like Oxygen?". Junior makes 10 Bucks extra and the crew gets a Buck bonus for the run. By the time the patient gets the bill there is nothing they can do about it other than pay. Guys waiting for a run work the phone harassing people to pay the bill and only get paid if they collect. I doubt if anybody in the company didn't know a 330 bottle cost $4.50 to get filled by the welding supply place in Buffalo.
If you pay before we unload you-
Oddly, many patients don't want to pay for the ride. Insurance isn't going to pay either unless it's a wreck. Junior figured it was easiest for the Attendent soothing the passenger to collect on the go.
Memo: to all employees, try to pry money out of the patient before rolling them into ED. Junior even popped for a couple pizzas for crew training on how to get the money. Remember, the company Lawyer says you can tell the patient anything in the back of the car. Look at their clothes. If they look prosperous, and give you a good home address, tell them the ride is $47, and the Oxygen is 12.50. Then tell them if they pay on the go, in cash, you can discount it to a flat $45. Company gets $40 and you make an extra 5 bucks.
Junior forgot smarter guys would offer to discount the ride to a flat $50, and only give the company $40. The receipt books weren't serial numbered, and the bookkeeper passed them out freely.
I'm sorry, company policy requires me to charge you extra to ride along in the jump seat with your kid on the gurney unless you pay $10 for the ride. No opportunity to make an extra Buck was to be missed. If you missed the charge it came out of your pay. Collecting the EXTRAS made you a Buck for each EXTRA $10 you brought in. I was working for a lowlife, but it was an easy job.
Would you like Oxygen?
An Ambulance ride to any Hospital in the City cost $37.75 for the ride, if you were picked up inside of the City. That's about $150 in 2017 Dollars. Patients going top Park Ridge a few miles outside the City got hit with an extra $22.50 charge for mileage, as did patients picked up outside of the City. Dispatchers were on making sure the EXTRA was charged when you called in route to Hospital. Really lucky patients who got picked up out of the City limits and hauled to Park Ridge paid more in EXTRAS than they did for the ride.
Junior found a loophole in his Contract with the City, an additional $10.00 could be charged for patients when Oxygen was administered. Big Meeting time. All crews were strongly advised to encourage patients to use Oxygen. No opportunity was to be missed to slap the plastic funnel on any patient headed for the Hospital. Every gurney was equipped with a minibottle and mask too. You loaded a woman with a sprained ankle because her heal got caught in a sewer grate, get her on Oxygen. Patient says it hurts, respond with "would you like Oxygen?". Junior makes 10 Bucks extra and the crew gets a Buck bonus for the run. By the time the patient gets the bill there is nothing they can do about it other than pay. Guys waiting for a run work the phone harassing people to pay the bill and only get paid if they collect. I doubt if anybody in the company didn't know a 330 bottle cost $4.50 to get filled by the welding supply place in Buffalo.
If you pay before we unload you-
Oddly, many patients don't want to pay for the ride. Insurance isn't going to pay either unless it's a wreck. Junior figured it was easiest for the Attendent soothing the passenger to collect on the go.
Memo: to all employees, try to pry money out of the patient before rolling them into ED. Junior even popped for a couple pizzas for crew training on how to get the money. Remember, the company Lawyer says you can tell the patient anything in the back of the car. Look at their clothes. If they look prosperous, and give you a good home address, tell them the ride is $47, and the Oxygen is 12.50. Then tell them if they pay on the go, in cash, you can discount it to a flat $45. Company gets $40 and you make an extra 5 bucks.
Junior forgot smarter guys would offer to discount the ride to a flat $50, and only give the company $40. The receipt books weren't serial numbered, and the bookkeeper passed them out freely.
I'm sorry, company policy requires me to charge you extra to ride along in the jump seat with your kid on the gurney unless you pay $10 for the ride. No opportunity to make an extra Buck was to be missed. If you missed the charge it came out of your pay. Collecting the EXTRAS made you a Buck for each EXTRA $10 you brought in. I was working for a lowlife, but it was an easy job.