San Diego officials are seeking ambulance alternatives in response to a crisis in ambulance costs, according to a San Diego Union-Tribune report.
The city has seen a rise in nonemergency 911 calls, where 30 percent of callers do not require an ambulance to travel to an emergency room.
Last week, the city's ambulance operator, American Medical Response, agreed to work with the city, county and private insurers to explore an payment alternative model as part of the city's approval of a 24 percent increase in the cost of an ambulance ride in San Diego.
Many nonemergency patients, especially lower income patients, would use another form of transportation if their insurer or government healthcare provider told them it would be covered, said Stewart Gary of Citygate Associates, a consulting firm hired to analyze the issue. But private insurers, Medicare and Medi-Cal cover ambulance rides only, not taxi trips or ride-sharing services.