Lanoka Harbor EMS Chief Disputes State's Allegations

LACEY, NJ — The chief of Lanoka Harbor Emergency Medical Services provided more detail on why he believes the state's claims against the agency are inaccurate.

The New Jersey Department of Health fined LHEMS $617,000 on Friday for repeated use of unauthorized ambulances and insufficiently staffed vehicles.

LHEMS will appeal the state's decision. Chief Justin Meehan claimed NJDEH's report was inaccurate, but he avoided specifics in a statement Monday to Patch.

Read more: State Fines Lanoka Harbor EMS $617K For Vehicle, Staff Violations

LHEMS sent out a more detailed press release Monday night responding to the state's report.

"In the NJDOH letter sent to LHEMS on January 31, 2020, there are numerous inaccuracies driving an absurd fine of alleged non-compliance that will require resolution," Meehan said in the press release. "For example, three of the vehicles cited in the letter are not ambulances, and do not transport patients."

Read the full press release below:

LHEMS decided to start billing insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid in 2018 for ambulance services, Meehan said. Previously, donations and taxes subsidized the organization's ambulance use.

The change ensures that insurance companies of patients cover part of the services. As a result, the NJDEP had to license LHEMS.

Since licensing, state officials required LHEMS to put two emergency medical technicians on each ambulance. Previously, each ambulance only needed one EMT and one driver with CPR certification and basic first aid qualifications on first-aid calls, Meehan said.

"When we asked regulators what to do in the situation, they advised us to keep on ambulance unlicensed," Meehan claimed. "That way we could staff it with only one EMT, without violating the two EMTs on a licensed ambulance requirement."

NJDOH told LHEMS on June 20 that a complaint was filed against the organization, Meehan said. The complaint accused LHEMS of operating an unlicensed ambulance.

State inspectors told LHEMS it could no longer use an unlicensed ambulance or handle 911 calls with one EMT and one driver with CPR certification and basic first aid qualifications.

Since NJDOH reached out, LHEMS implemented a two-EMT policy immediately, Meehan said. If two EMTs weren't available, LHEMS would pass the call to a different agency.

The state charged LHEMS $1,000 for each instance of insufficient staffing and for each of the 76 days of unlicensed vehicle use.

"There were never any complaints from a patient about our care, or the quality of the vehicle," Meehan said.

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