By HOLLY GASKILL
According to current projections, Wells County EMS can operate for five more years with its current funding source.
Wells County EMS CEO Rick Piepenbrink and Trent Bucher of Honegger, Ringger and Co. presented a financial update to the Wells County Council on Tuesday. EMS services are supported by the Wells Community Health Services Foundation, established through the $8 million sale of the county hospital in 2000.
The fund has depleted over time as costs have increased and revenue has not. There is currently a $3.8 million balance.
Wells County EMS makes an average of 8.5 runs per day — two-thirds of which are billable, meaning an individual was transported to the hospital. Of these runs, roughly 65% are billed to Medicare or Medicaid which pay significantly less than the cost.
Altogether, EMS revenue has remained flat for five years despite significant inflating costs to the department. According to Bucher, EMS lost $509 per run last fiscal year. On average, the fund has depleted by $194,000 annually for 23 years.
Council member Vicki Andrews noted that much of the issue is beyond the council’s control — the county cannot dictate how people use EMS for nonbillable services nor that Medicare and Medicaid discounts have not risen with inflation.
The county council has taken measures to delay this depletion — first in 2022, by committing $100,000 of the budget to support EMS operations. The county contributed an additional $160,000 in 2024 by reducing property tax credits and will increase its contribution to $351,220 in 2025.
In his update, Bucher attributed part of this difficulty to the county solely bearing the cost of EMS services. Council member Steve Huggins questioned why this was, considering its benefit to local hospitals.
In response, Council member Seth Whicker stated he had met with Julie Thompson, chief administration officer at Bluffton Regional Medical Center, and there may be a future partnership between the parties. Whicker stated they were going to have “some robust conversations here the first of the year to try to figure it out.” He said he’s also talked to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne.
That said, Whicker noted other aspects to consider outside of the financial component — specifically, that the county could lose control of its EMS stations. Three stations are currently maintained throughout the county.
Increases in county support have staved off total depletion, but the county will eventually have to determine how to support the department, budgeted at $1.3 million in 2025.
holly@news-banner.com
