Miss. city hires collection firm to recover $1.8M in unpaid ambulance bills

While Vicksburg does use a company for medical billing, it does not have a process for collecting past-due bills

By Rachel Engel

VICKSBURG, Miss. — Vicksburg city officials voted to hire an outside firm to collect outstanding ambulance bills.

Members of the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Alderman voted to bring in Franklin Collection Service Inc. to help reduce the backlog of unpaid bills from as early as 2013 that add up to $1.8 million, the Wichita Eagle reported.

The Vicksburg Fire Department has handled all emergency calls for the city since the local ambulance company went out of business in 1969. Health Care Consultants Inc. handles medical billing for the city but does not have a process for collecting past-due bills, city attorney Nancy Thomas said.