Ambulance service and managed care: the MCO perspective.

EMS and managed care can coexist, but it requires communication and flexibility on both sides. If the managed care organizations whose members you service haven't taken steps to contact you regarding these issues, your management can certainly take the initiative in requesting a meeting. In a typical MCO, transportation is a very small percentage of the overall budget, and day-to-day communications with service providers may be overlooked in dealing with larger financial considerations until there's a problem. After a problem has occurred is not the right time to attempt to establish a relationship. Communication, regardless of who takes the first step, can avoid this scenario. Remember, transportation is your area of expertise, not theirs, and most companies will appreciate your efforts to discuss issues before they become problems.