A Fla. agency raised their wall-time fee to $204/hour as an incentive for hospitals to find a solution. Is this a good strategy to address the concern?

Commissioners voted 5-0 in favor of a resolution to increase the hourly fee charged to hospitals by Hernando County Fire and Emergency Services for ambulance crews waiting to transfer care of patients to hospital staffers, the Hernando Sun reported recently.

This fee was $30 per hour and goes up to an hourly rate of $204. The fees will be charted in quarter-hour increments after the first 30 minutes.

“Sometimes, these big corporations, the only way you get their attention is by giving them an incentive,” said Commissioner Jerry Campbell. Share your opinion on this week’s poll topic! Email editor@ems1.com and tell us your thoughts.