Harford official concerned about $4.9M county revenue loss due to EMS billing error

A recent audit of Harford County’s Emergency Medical Services found that nearly 11,700 EMS transports were not billed by the county government, resulting in a loss of about $4.9 million in county revenue in 2023.

The audit, conducted by the Office of the County Auditor, also found underbilling by EMS to have resulted in a permanent revenue loss of $200,000. The expenses outlined by the $200,000 loss can no longer be billed since the expenses are now outdated.

To avoid the issues that contributed to the loss of $4.9 million in revenue, the county auditor recommended the county hire additional staff to assist with billing.

“We are in an extremely critical budget climate where important organizations and vital programs are being cut that otherwise could have been received funding,” Harford Council member Jessica Boyle-Tsottles said in a Tuesday news release. “This revenue stream could have been spent on county workforce, programs, public safety or education.”

Tsottles called the discovery a “great concern for Harford County taxpayers.

“At a time when the county administration is promoting fiscal responsibility and cutting or flat funding programs throughout the county that benefit our citizens, such as public safety, the non or under-collection of nearly $5 million in revenue is concerning,” she said.