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AMR terminates contract with Oklahoma City EMS authority after legal dispute

Emergency Medical Services Authority filed a $16 million lawsuit against American Medical Response in September

By Laura French

OKLAHOMA CITY — American Medical Response has announced that it will terminate its contract with Oklahoma City’s Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) following a legal dispute over contractual obligations.

EMSA filed a more than $16 million lawsuit against AMR in September, alleging that AMR had not turned over proceeds exceeding a 10% cap on profits included in the contract. AMR Region President Steve Dralle responded in a statement saying the federal government had determined the profit cap payments to be unlawful in a previous case regarding EMSA’s prior ambulance contractor, and that AMR had refrained from making the payments until the government could assure they were lawful.

On Sept. 23, EMSA issued a notice to AMR alleging contract violations related to response times, information sharing and overall care, according to KOKH.

AMR announced its intention to terminate its contract with EMSA by Jan. 31, 2021, and countersued for $16 million in payments it says EMSA has withheld, according to the Tulsa World. AMR also requested that a court determine whether the 10% profit cap is legal.

Both agencies stated that the contract termination will not impact services in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, which is also covered under EMSA, and that AMR will continue to provide personnel until EMSA contracts with a new provider or hires its own personnel.

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