Greeley, UCHealth, sign new ambulance deal

GREELEY — The city of Greeley and UCHealth signed a new 911 EMS — emergency medical services — transport deal for the city, which begins Dec. 1, a city spokesman said.

Banner Health has provided such ambulance services to Greeley residents since 2012. Their contract ends Nov. 30. It participated in bidding to continue its work, but the city selected UCHealth.

Banner sued the city and current and former city staffers on Aug. 30, alleging unfairness in the process. It asked a Weld County District Judge to dismiss the suit four weeks later, with only alternative dispute resolution efforts having been ordered. Banner and the city didn’t comment on the suit, its dismissal or what took place between the two actions.

“We are disappointed Banner was not selected to continue providing ambulance services in Greeley,” a Banner Health spokesperson said via email about the new contract. “We will ensure a smooth handoff to the new ambulance provider and have already reached out to help facilitate this. Greeley is our community and we will not let you down.”

Greeley public information officer James Redmond said via email that the city evaluated bidders on four areas: company and personnel qualification, approach to the scope of the work, community engagement and implementation plan.

“After completing the process and tabulating the scores, UCHealth ranked highest,” Redmond said. “From there, city officials began contract negotiations with UCHealth to establish terms and conditions.”

The three-year deal was signed Oct. 4.

It calls for UCHealth to pay for dispatching units and costs related to the systems used in the work. UCHealth will also pay $100,000 a year to the city’s Community Action Collaborative. Part of CAC is the unit that responds to 911 calls.

The contract gives an example of dispatch costs of about $20 apiece with some 11,000 911 calls in 2020.

UCHealth will post a $1.5 million letter of credit as bond against performance security, carry extensive insurance and could pay penalties for failure to respond to calls quickly enough.

According to the contract, UCHealth charges users for its work: “The primary means of contractor compensation is through fee-for-service reimbursement of patient charges.”

There are discounts and exceptions for users earning less than 250% of the federal poverty level and for those with no insurance or financial hardship.

UCHealth can’t increase its rates more than 7.5% annually without the Greeley Fire Chief’s approval, the contract said.

Editor’s Note: After publication this article was updated to reflect a Banner Health comment regarding the new contract between Greeley and UCHealth.

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