Emergency Medical Service (EMS)
Emergency Medical Services, more commonly known as EMS, is a system that provides emergency medical care. Once it is activated by an incident that causes serious illness or injury, the focus of EMS is emergency medical care of any patients. This emergency medical care is provided by highly educated and well-trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Advanced EMTs, and Paramedics.
EMS is most easily recognized when emergency vehicles or helicopters are seen responding to emergency incidents. But EMS is much more than a ride to the hospital. It is a system of coordinated response and emergency medical care, involving multiple people and agencies. A comprehensive EMS system is ready every day for every kind of emergency.
EMS is an intricate system, and each component of this system has an essential role to perform as part of a coordinated and seamless system of emergency medical care. EMS does not exist in isolation, but is integrated with other services and systems intended to maintain and enhance the community's health and safety. EMS operates at the crossroads of health care, public health and public safety, delivering healthcare in a public safety model. Since EMS providers respond to all kinds of emergencies and hazards, they often work shoulder-to-shoulder with public safety colleagues in law enforcement and fire services. However, EMS remains focused on their primary mission which is emergency medical care.
The organizational structure of EMS, as well as who provides and finances the services, varies significantly from community to community. Prehospital services are sometimes based in a fire department, a hospital, an independent government agency, a non-profit corporation, or be provided for by commercial for-profit companies. In our case, we are a department of the Peach County Board of Commissioners. Regardless of provider, the essential components of an EMS System remain the same.
Our service, and our EMTs and Paramedics, are licensed and regulated by the State of Georgia, Department of Public Health. In Peach County, our crews respond to over 3,000 calls for assistance each year. This is accomplished using two fully equipped and staffed ambulances around the clock, and a third during times of peak demand. Peach County provides Paramedic care, employing the latest in technology and clinical guidelines, to ensure our patient’s safety and well-being.
If you have questions about our department, or would like to know how you might become an EMT or Paramedic, please contact our EMS Director. Contact information may be found under the Director’s photograph on this page.
Billing for EMS Services
EMS billing is highly technical and closely regulated by the State and Federal government. Because of this, Peach County retains the services of a professional billing company to complete this function on its behalf. This company is Central Georgia Billing Service, Inc.
Because of the overhead associated with providing ambulance services, these bills can seem very expensive. In most cases, the bill is fully or partially covered by the patient’s healthcare insurer. These insurers include commercial insurance (often provided by your employer), Medicare, Medicare replacement plans, Medicare supplement plans, Medicaid, and sometimes paid out-of-pocket by the patient themselves.
We understand that billing, and insurance reimbursement, are often confusing. If you have questions concerning your bill or what your insurer may have, or may not have, paid in association with your bill, we encourage you to contact our billing company directly. You may contact them by telephone toll free at (833) 200-5037, or at (706) 749-2225. They may also be reached via email at pcambulancebill@gmail.com.