09-19-11 Draft Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—SEPTEMBER 19, 2011 7 Dr. Lick stated the physicians group that he is a part of has this discussion regularly with the hospital partners and it's really a value proposition. He stated it is a three-legged stool; cost, quality, and speed. He said we can get there very quickly and provide a quality response, but there's a cost to that. He stated that you can have a lower quality provider, but is that what you want? To save costs you could cut down on the response times and the number of people coming, but then you're potentially degrading the quality of medical care. He stated his philosophy has been, if you're going to do something, do it well. Councilmember Tamble stated that cost is an issue because public safety is the biggest increase in the City's 2012 budget amounting to a total increase of$58,000. He asked if Dr. Lick had any suggestions to reduce costs. Dr.Lick responded that the more pointed question would be whether or not you can decrease cost without decreasing the quality of care. Brian LaCroix commented that AMT receives no tax subsidies; all their revenue comes from the patients. He added that they have seen a reduction in the number of calls possibly due to the economy. Councilmember Werner asked if the patient is charged for the response of all three organizations. • Dr. Lick explained that the patient is only charged for the ambulance service and then only if they are actually transported. Kevin Miller commented that the patient has no knowledge of events during the medical crisis and it's extremely anxious for family members during such a crisis if there's no one there to help. So the sooner help arrives, the better for the patient and the family. Also, having police on site helps to ensure the area the paramedics are entering is safe. He explained there are assaults on their staff every week by patients and others. He cautioned the Council to not only consider the quality of care,but also consider the system which is working well. Mayor Grant thanked the attendees from Allina Medical Transportation, Ramsey County Sheriff, and the Lake Johanna Fire Department for attending the meeting. Mayor Grant recessed the meeting at 6:30 p.m. for a short break. Mayor Grant resumed the meeting at 6:37 p.m. B. US 10/Highway 96 Interchange Improvements—Municipal Consent Public Works Director Terry Maurer stated that at the April 25, 2011 Work Session, representatives of Ramsey County presented and discussed the proposed US I O/Highway 96 grade separation project. Since the proposed project alters access, it does require Municipal Consent from the City. The required public hearing was held on July 11, 2011 and, according to the Municipal Consent process, the City has 90 days from the public hearing to take action to