Frequently Asked Questions

To reduce the tax cost of emergency medical services (EMS) for county residents; without ambulance fees, the cost of providing emergency medical care would fall completely on the residents of Caldwell County. Caldwell County EMS Division has charged ambulance fees for more than thirty-five years. The Caldwell County Commissioners authorized such fees to offset the tax cost of providing EMS to residents and visitors. While taxes provide the majority of operational funding, ambulance fees collected from EMS Billing, assist Caldwell County in providing the highest level of care to the citizens and visitors of our County.

No. The Caldwell County EMS Billing only charges fees for treatment and/or ambulance transport. Fire trucks can respond to 911 calls faster than ambulances, meaning emergency personnel get to you quicker. No fees are charged for this service by our agency.

To verify your identity and prevent fraud. Because the Department charges fees for service, ambulance crews are instructed to verify patient identity including name, social security number, birth date, home address and telephone number. They also may ask for health insurance, automobile insurance or employment information, depending on the situation. Our Department requires identity verification to protect patients from fraud and to assure, if possible, you are covered by healthcare or other insurance.

In most cases, if the incident is classified as an emergency situation, yes. Patients who are covered by Medicaid or Medicare programs generally will have no out-of-pocket expenses related to ambulance bills. Patients who are covered by private healthcare insurance may be required to pay a co-pay or deductible expense, and/or the difference in coverage. This is entirely dependent on your insurance coverage and agency.

• More information relating to Medicare
• More information relating to Medicaid

For all questions related to ambulance billing including insurance, payment and hardship assistance, please call 828-757-1279 Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm EST.

Please mail all correspondence concerning ambulance billing, including payments, forms, letters and other correspondence to:

Caldwell County Ambulance
P.O. Box 2200
Lenoir, NC 28645

Make checks payable to Caldwell County Ambulance

Main Phone: 1-877-200-9364
Medical Records Information: 828-757-1279
HIPAA Information: 828-757-1279

Caldwell County EMS and Caldwell County EMS Billing may use your protected health information (PHI) for purposes of securing payment of ambulance charges. This may include submitting insurance claims, submitting claims to other third parties identified as responsible for payment of charges, or mailing you an invoice requesting payment. Claims for payment of charges may be submitted directly or through the use of a third-party billing company and/or clearing house. Follow-up use of PHI for payment purposes may include management of billed claims for services rendered, medical necessity determinations and reviews, insurance company appeals, utilization review, and collection of outstanding accounts. Designated agency personnel, including contractual personnel, may review and use PHI to verify your eligibility for certain services including eligibility for "hardship" classification, medical assistance programs, or other special designations.