Politics & Government

Company Helps Triple EMS Collections for Douglas

Since Alpha and Omega Medical Billing Services took charge of the task in 2007, the county has seen better income from the bills, Commissioner Mike Mulcare said.

Since Alpha and Omega Medical Billing Services took charge of collecting Douglas County’s unpaid emergency medical service bills in 2007, the inflow of money has tripled from the collections, Commissioner Mike Mulcare said.

The county’s population has grown, the commissioner said, but it hasn’t grown nearly enough to account for the tripling of paid fees. 

The Board of Commissioners approved the company’s contract renewal on Tuesday, with Alpha and Omega keeping 7 percent of all collections.

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“It can be kind of hard collecting on your ambulance bills, so this company, they have more than paid for themselves,” Mulcare said after Tuesday’s commission meeting.

Mulcare described how the county could hire staff to collect the bills, but that method wouldn’t be as effective as using Alpha and Omega.

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“Their incentive is to collect the money because the more they collect, the more they get paid,” he said.

Tuesday’s meeting saw a larger than normal crowd in attendance. The majority of people were there for the public hearing on a potential expansion to the Woodie Fite Senior Center on Dorris Road in Douglasville.

The proposed expansion is an added multipurpose room to the back of the facility. The current estimated cost is $525,000, Robin Bishop, the county’s grant consultant, said during her presentation of the proposal.

The county is applying for a Community Development Block Grant provided by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to cover $500,000 of that, with the county giving a required match of $25,000.

Bishop and members of the center described the overcrowding woes of the current facility. The 4,000-plus membership has been long overdue for an expansion, they said, with the commissioners agreeing.

Events have been held at other locations because there isn’t enough room for them at Woodie Fite, Bishop said.

Public comments can be made to Douglas County about the expansion until the draft summaries are submitted to GDCA on April 1, Bishop said.

Douglas County will find out if it is awarded the funds by October 2011, she said. 

“It takes them a while to rate all the applications for all 159 counties and eligible cities in the state of Georgia,” Bishop said.

If the county is awarded the grant, the site will have to be analyzed for flooding and the expansion’s design will have to be approved, Bishop said. Those will be followed by a bidding process and construction from about July 2012 to November 2012, she said, adding the grant should be closed out by the beginning of 2013.

Following Bishop’s presentation, Commission Chairman Tom Worthan prefaced the public comment period by saying: “If you’re here in support of applying for this … grant, would you please stand?”

The majority of those in attendance rose.

“I think we have lots of support,” he said.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting:

  • The purchasing of 12 properties affected by the September 2009 flood in the Austell portion of the county was approved. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is footing the bill, Mulcare said.
  • The proceeds from the money on the bonds for the new jail were approved to be put in certificates of deposit in JP Morgan Chase Bank. “Obviously there are costs to borrowing money, so we’ve sold the bonds so we’ve got the money in the bank,” Mulcare said. “The money is drawing a very, very small amount of interest. We’re buying CDs to generate more interest."
  • The new library on Highway 5 in Douglasville was named Dog River Library.
  • Tanner Medical Center was awarded a tax refund for being overcharged on its property taxes.
  • Continuant was awarded the county’s phone maintenance contract. The former company wouldn’t maintain older phones, but Continuant will, Mulcare said, adding the new company is also cheaper.
  • The county accepted $1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to purchase foreclosed homes, fix them up and reintroduce them into the market. The targeted houses are in the Dorsett Shoals Road-Kings Highway area. The commission approved seeking the funds at .
  • Faneashia Allen was appointed to the Regional Board for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
  • Raymond Martin, the county’s personnel director, was congratulated for receiving the Public Administrator of the Year award.
  • Next week, starting March 20, was declared Boys & Girls Club week in the county.
  • March 23 was declared Kick Butts Day 2011, an effort to stop young people from smoking.
  • Saturday, March 19 was declared Captain William Clinton Day. Clinton is a verified American Revolution soldier who is buried in Douglas County. His grave was verified through the work of Elaine Steere of the Douglas County Genealogical Society.
  • Jenn Townsend, a volunteer at Douglas County 4-H, was recognized as the Arby’s Corporate Volunteer of the Year for her efforts.
  • Candice Salters, a student at , gave a speech on the character word of the month, courage. A video of Salter’s speech is attached to this article. 


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