The Buffalo News
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rural/Metro has shut down its coding and billing operations nationwide in a move to boost revenue and cut costs, which also affects about 50 employees in Buffalo.
Some employees will be offered jobs locally through a company Rural/Metro has hired to do the work, and those who are not hired will be paid 60 days’ severance, according to Rural/Metro spokesman John Karolzak.
“RevMD is required to hire a material number of Rural/Metro’s billing staff as part of the transition,” according to a company news release.
Most of Rural/Metro’s billing staff is located in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the company headquarters is in the same building as RevMD, though they are separate companies.
Rural/Metro could not say how many employees would be hired for new positions with RevMD, but said that some billing operations will remain in Buffalo.
The ambulance company’s coding and billing operations were spread across the country, and hiring RevMD and LexiCode helps Rural/Metro focus on patient care, Karolzak said.
Rural/Metro won the support of Mayor Byron W. Brown in June for a new five-year contract, and has had the right to operate exclusively in the city since 2005. The new contract requires Common Council approval.
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©2014 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.)