Paramedic Services | Norfolk County

Norfolk County Paramedic Services provides advanced pre-hospital medical and trauma care and transports patients from emergency incidents to appropriate healthcare facilities.

Ambulance billing

The Ministry of Health pays most of the cost of an ambulance trip for an injured or very ill patient. This applies to an air or land ambulance. The patient usually pays $45, but some exceptions exist.

When the Ministry pays

The Ministry pays ambulance costs over $45 for:

An emergency trip is when the attending physician at the hospital signs the ambulance call report after the patient has been admitted
A non-emergency trip, if the patient’s doctor states in writing before the ambulance is used that the patient’s condition makes an ambulance necessary

The hospital bills the patient for the $45. When no hospital is involved, the service provider bills the patient. Air ambulances cost $45 for medically necessary trips. If the patient also needs a land ambulance, $45 is charged only once.

When the patient pays

The patient must pay $240 for a land ambulance trip when:

The trip is not medically necessary
The patient does not have a valid Ontario Health Card or Health 65 Card

The $240 charge is the average cost of a land ambulance trip in Ontario. The patient is charged the full cost of any air ambulance flight that is not medically necessary or is not covered by a valid Ontario Health Card or Health 65 Card. The patient must also pay $240 for any land ambulance used.

Exceptions

Some people are fully covered for ambulance services if the trip is medically necessary and the patient cannot travel by other means (such as family car, taxi, or public transit). The $45 charge does not apply to those who are:

Receiving provincial social assistance (general welfare assistance or family benefits).
Transferring from one hospital to another for insured, medically necessary treatment.
Transferring from a hospital to a rehabilitation facility, treatment facility for physically disabled children, medical laboratory, or X-ray facility approved by the Ministry of Health.
Enrolled in the Ministry’s Home Care Program.
living in one of the following facilities licensed or approved by
- the Ministry
- nursing home
- home for the aged
- rest home
- home for special care
- home or residence for psychiatric patients.

All those listed exceptions must pay $240 if the ambulance trip is not medically necessary and the patient could have travelled by other means (such as family car, taxi or public transit).

Frequently asked questions

Why am I receiving a bill for ambulance service; isn’t the service free?

No. Service is not free, but the majority of your ambulance bill is covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (O.H.I.P.). When transported in a licensed ambulance, Ontario residents receive a bill only for that portion that is not covered by their health insurance. This fee is normally $45.00.

How much does ambulance service cost?

Normal land ambulance costs are billed at $240.00, of which your Ontario Health Insurance covers all but $45.00.

I am covered by O.H.I.P. but received a bill for $240.00. Why?

O.H.I.P. insures ambulance transportation only for those trips that are medically essential. The hospital you were transported to determines whether your ambulance trip was medically necessary. If the doctor decides that you could have made your way to the hospital by another means, you will be billed for the full amount of the ambulance bill. This is necessary to ensure that the system is not abused and that the service is available to those who need it.

I am visiting from the United States or another country and am not insured under O.H.I.P. How will I be billed?

Anyone who is not an Ontario resident or insured under O.H.I.P. will be billed at the full, uninsured rate of $240.00. Some private and travel health insurance carriers may reimburse you for these costs. It is up to you to discuss this with your insurance carrier.

I was visiting from another province when I needed an ambulance. I have health insurance under my own province’s scheme. Should I receive a bill?

Yes. You will be billed at the uninsured rate of $240.00. You are responsible for recovering any insured costs from your provincial health insurance plan.

Will I be billed for transfers from one hospital to another?

This service is free for insured residents of Ontario. Similarly, no charge is applied when a patient is transferred to a nursing home, home for the aged, or other designated special care facilities.

I am on Home Care. Does this affect whether I receive a bill?

Yes, in some circumstances. Patients being sent home on Home Care will not receive a bill for service, but subsequent calls for ambulance service, which your Doctor does not order, will be billed. Whether or not you are responsible for paying these bills should be discussed with Home Care.

When I had my accident, the Paramedics provided first aid care at the scene, but I refused to be taken to the hospital. Is there any charge for this service?

There is no charge for this service. However, you must sign a form releasing Norfolk EMS and its employees from any liability arising from your refusal to go to the hospital.

About Norfolk County Paramedic Services

We provide services based on the individual’s needs with respect for human dignity within our defined areas and to the best of our ability and training.

Mission Statement

To be available on a 24-hour basis to respond with optimum speed and efficiency to all medical emergencies. This includes service reaction times for onsite personnel for all Code 4’s (T2-T3) of 2 minutes or less
We provide emergency patient care to the public we serve. This includes stabilizing and transporting the acute and critically injured, provided with 11 Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances. Norfolk County has 2 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV), one Rapid Access Vehicle (RAV), and one Emergency Support Unit (ESU).
Norfolk County does not have Advance Life Support (ALS) emergency care.

Norfolk County Paramedic Services will use its best efforts, as set out by law and in response to accepted standards of practice, to ensure that all service responsibilities are delivered in a professional, efficient, courteous, and confidential manner.

Collection of personal information

Norfolk County Paramedic Services is a “health information custodian” for the purposes of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA). In accordance with PHIPA and the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA), we collect personal health information (PHI) about you directly from you or the person acting on your behalf.

The personal health information that we collect may be in various forms and may include, for example, your name, date of birth, address, health history, and the care you received from NCPS paramedics. Personal health information is collected from other sources only with your consent or directed by legislation or legal requirements.

FAQ

How is my Personal Health Information Used and Disclosed?

We use and disclose your personal health information to:

Treat and care for you
Conduct quality activities
Plan, administer and evaluate programs or services
Compile statistics
Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
Notify you of an appointment or change to an appointment
Fulfil other purposes permitted or required by law
Conduct client satisfaction surveys
Facilitate the federal and provincial government goals of providing Canadians with electronic health records.

What are my rights as a client?

You may withdraw your consent for the following uses:

Client satisfaction surveys
Some federal/provincial electronic health records systems
The disclosure of your personal health information to other healthcare providers who provide health services
Voluntary health programs

You may access and correct your personal health records. Please contact the Norfolk County Supervisor, Information and Privacy for more information on accessing, correcting, or withdrawing your consent.

How we protect your personal health information

We protect your health information from theft, loss, and unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, and disclosure. All personal information records, paper or electronic, are stored, archived, and/or destroyed according to the Norfolk County Records Retention Bylaw 2020-90. All documents are stored in locked cabinets, vehicles, and offices.
We conduct audits and complete investigations to monitor and manage our privacy compliance
We take steps to ensure that everyone who performs services for us protects your privacy and only uses your personal health information for the purposes to which you have consented.

Information and Privacy Commissioner

2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400 Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8 Phone: 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073 www.ipc.on.ca

Operational policy

It is the duty of each employee of Norfolk County Emergency Medical Services to:

Serve the ill, injured, general public, and fellow employees responsibly and conscientiously;
Ensure the safety of patients and provide the most appropriate care within training and skills;
Respect the rights of patients and ensure patient confidentiality is maintained;
Maintain a constant state of readiness to respond to medical emergencies;
Conduct business operations in a professional manner, avoiding any practice likely to be detrimental or disgraceful to the service of fellow employees;
Uphold standards set down by Norfolk County Emergency Medical Services;
Provide service per the Ambulance Act, guided by the five principles of effective Service Delivery: accessible, integrated, seamless, accountable, and responsive. This requires Norfolk County E.M.S. to have at least one primary care paramedic (PCP) level trained on duty at all times and on all bases. Norfolk County staffs full- and part-time paramedics.
Norfolk County E.M.S. has a legislated response time: sudden cardiac arrest calls within 6 minutes 50% of the time, CTAS 1 calls within 8 minutes 50% of the time, CTAS 2 calls within 13 minutes 85% of the time, CTAS 3 calls within 13 minutes 85% of the time, CTAS 4 calls within 20 minutes 90% of the time, and CTAS 5 calls within 30 minutes 90% of the time.

Norfolk County EMS provides prompt transportation and initiates pre-hospital care for patients in emergency and non-emergency situations. We provide services based on the individual’s needs with respect for human dignity within our defined areas and to the best of our ability and training.

Become a paramedic

In Ontario, anyone who wants to become a paramedic must attend a recognized college or university paramedic program. All accredited college and university Primary Care Paramedic programs are two years in length. Read more on the Ontario Paramedic Association website. View current career opportunities at Norfolk County.