Harford Co. Company Owner Disputes Report Over Increased Fees

HARFORD COUNTY, MD – The owner of a Harford County transportation company is disputing the fact that he attempted to hike rates that would have involved the City of Baltimore paying an additional $640,000 for contracted ambulance services before the City Inspector General’s Office intervened.

While Isabel Mercedes Cummings’ office did not name the company in its investigative report which was released Wednesday, the Baltimore Sun discovered that based on records,Hart to Heart Transportation – located in Forest Hill – was the company targeted by an investigation launched by the inspector general after Hart to Heart was awarded a five-year, $33 million contract with the city to provide medical transportation for Medicaid clients.

After the inspector general’s investigation was launched into the matter, Baltimore City officials denied a payment of $637,300 to the company, the report stated.

The contract keeps the company from increasing its rates over the five-year life of the deal, which runs through 2023, the Sun reported. But, the investigative report indicates that the transportation company and city vendor - reported by the newspaper to be Hart to Heart - informed city officials in May that rates would be increased by 4 percent to cover an increased volume in calls and training due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

In response to published reports, J. Jason Skidmore, owner of Hart to Heart, issued a statement late Thursday night that insists that several media outlets - including Patch - erroneously reported that his company had inappropriately requested a rate increase for transportation services.

"The global pandemic continues to impose severe financial hardship, health risks and uncertainty for all businesses, particularly those critically operating on the front lines, including Hart to Heart Transportation," Skidmore said in the statement. "Due to these extraordinary hardships, coupled with major revenue shortfalls related to its existing Baltimore City contract, Hart to Heart Transportation formally and appropriately requested the Baltimore City Health Department consider a 4% price increase for its transportation services, beginning fiscal year 2021.

Skidmore wrote that an initial written request was made on May 5, 2020, well ahead of the new fiscal year. He maintains there was ongoing communication with the City Health Department as a follow-up letter responding to clarifying questions was submitted on July 2, 2020.

He insists, however, that Hart to Heart never charged any higher rates for services during this process or its contract period. He continued by stating that all written communication was handled through official channels, within the process outlined for vendors, and in the most transparent manner possible.

"To suggest or insinuate otherwise is simply untrue," Skidmore concluded. "Hart to Heart will continue to operate with integrity and proudly provide world-class health care services through ambulance and mobility transportation, as it has been for more than two decades."

The inspector general’s report also revealed that the company who attempted raise its rates for the city had received $1 million in federal Paycheck Protection Plan loans. According to a database reporting what local companies and businesses received in PPP funding, Hart to Heart was approved for a loan between $1 million -$2 million.

The Sun reported that after determining that the company was attempting to bill the city for medical transportation, the inspector general’s office alerted the office of Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young. The report stated that the company attempted to request a 4 percent increase for all services provided to the city.

According to The Sun, Hart To Heart previously agreed to pay $1.25 million following a federal investigation into allegations that it defrauded Medicare thousands of times for billing for rides that were not medically required.