Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
With negotiations being made up until two hours before their June 13 meeting, Barnwell County Council unanimously approved a contract with a new EMS provider.
Thorne Ambulance Service (TAS) is family owned and operated with locations across the state in the Upstate, Midland, and Grand Strand regions providing wheelchair, basic, and advanced life support services. According to their website, TAS is the “premier provider of mobile medicine in South Carolina.”
The county signed a three-year contract with an option to renew every two years. TAS will begin serving Barnwell County on September 3 for a first-year cost of $1.164 million.
When TAS first responded to the county’s request for quotes (RFQ), they submitted annual and monthly quotes showing a 3 percent increase from year to year.
In the first year, the county was quoted $1.37 million annually and $114,639 monthly. In the second year, the quoted annual cost was $1.42 million and $118,078 monthly. In the third year, the quoted cost was $1.46 million and $121,620 monthly.
However, these figures have changed after negotiations were made.
According to Administrator Tim Bennett, there was a placeholder in the 2023-2024 budget for $1.4 million.
“Through some hardcore negotiations on the part of county council, we were able to drop that $1.4 down to about $1.164,” said Bennett.
According to Bennett at the June 13 meeting, TAS will provide four ambulances plus spares in case of breakdowns.
“For the longest time I think the county has not had a provider that was really focused on the community in terms of the investments they are making in the equipment and the support they are providing their local providers,” said Ryan Thorne, CEO of TAS. “As a family owned and operated company, that will be different coming into the county to serve.”
Barnwell County Council Chairman Jerry Creech described TAS’s services as a “better quality fleet this time with this contract.”
Medshore has served the county since 2014. At an August 2022 Health and Safety meeting, the county met with Medshore representatives to discuss a lack of transparency, lack of ambulances on duty, consistent vehicle breakdowns, and poor communication.
In early 2023, Medshore requested to negotiate the contract to allow an increase in subsidy from the county due to the increased price of operations since the pandemic.
“I understand the county’s financial situation,” said Medshore Vice President Jason Cooke. “With the rise in cost of medical care and medical supplies and fuel that we’ve seen, we felt it was necessary for the county to at least look at other providers.”
According to Cooke, Medshore will maintain serving Barnwell County with no decrease in service until TAS services begin.
“We’ll be working with Thorne to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible,” said Cooke, who expressed he is saddened to see the eight-year partnership come to an end but wishes both the county and TAS the best.
Throne explained he plans to offer “a staggered orientation schedule so as to not disrupt current operational flow for the current provider,” he said of ensuring a smooth transition.
Penalties and other safeguards have been put in place to ensure TAS serves Barnwell County according to the contract.
“If an ambulance is out for one day, the cost is $800. If ten incidents occur in 30 days, it's a $5,000 fine,” said Bennett.
The contract calls for a quality of services survey to be distributed to patients, their families, and firefighters after TAS responds to a call. In addition, a community advisory council will be constructed to monitor the quality of services.
“I think from an oversight standpoint there is going to be a lot more local leadership presence,” said Thorne.
Three other EMS providers initially responded to the county’s RFQ: AmeriPro Health, AMR Lifeguard Ambulance Service, and the county’s current provider, Medshore. Each was evaluated by a screening committee which then presented a recommendation to the county. TAS was the recommendation.
Medshore first signed a three-year contract with the county in 2014 to maintain and staff four, full-time ambulances as well as a Quick Response Vehicle for $950,000 annually or $2.85 million per contract term.
The contract with Medshore was re-signed in July 2021 for an annual payment of $992,000 for the first year with a 3 percent increase for the second and third year after a competitive bid process. When the most recent bid was submitted to the county, Medshore quoted an annual cost of $1.89 million and a monthly cost of $157,593.
In this 2021 process, TAS also submitted a bid to the county. They proposed a starting rate of $950,000 for the first year with a 2 percent increase for each following year. This shows a nearly $215,000 increase in TAS’s proposed bids in 2021 and in 2023.
EMS has been tumultuous in Barnwell County in recent years. However, officials hope this new contract proves to be beneficial for the community.
For more information about Thorne Ambulance Service, visit http://www.thorneambulance.com/.
