LISTEN | Full interview with Dr. Ian Sutanto:
How it happens7:44An Alberta doctor on duty saved a man’s life with CPR. He then received an ambulance bill for $250.
Dr. Ian Sutanto didn’t expect to receive a $250 bill in the mail after helping save a man’s life during a basketball game.
Sutanto, a family physician from Edmonton, was at a father-son game with his son on June 19 when one of the fathers went into cardiac arrest. He and another father sprang into action, performing CPR and using an automated external defibrillator (AED).
When the ambulances arrived and the patient’s condition stabilized, one of the paramedics checked on Sutanto, who felt out of breath after all the activities.
Three weeks later, he was shocked to receive a bill.
“If they see anyone, I think they will be billed. I didn’t know about it,” Sutanto said. How it happens presenter Neil Koksal.
“I’m very grateful for their work, but, you know, I thought it was after CPR… kind of a courtesy, a nice thing to do, just to make sure I was okay.”
Alberta Hospital and Surgical Services (AHSH) rejected Sutanto’s bill when he refused and said it would review its ambulance billing policies.
Sutanto says the incident opened his eyes to the high cost of ambulance services, which he fears could prevent patients from seeking help when they need it most.
“It happened very quickly”
Sutanto says he had never performed CPR outside of a hospital before, but when the moment came, he didn’t hesitate.
“It happened very quickly. We were in the middle of the performance and then I turned around and saw one of the dads collapse on the floor,” he said.
He had no pulse and was not breathing.
“Parents mobilized very quickly. The coach called 911,” Sutanto said. “Me and another father started doing CPR almost as soon as we realized he needed it. And once the AED was in place, we… cut his shirt and put the pads on.”
Paramedics soon arrived on the scene and the patient was resuscitated.
But Sutanto was exhausted. He said CPR is a physically taxing job, especially after playing basketball for 40 minutes.
“So the lone paramedic, amazing guy, very nice, he saw me lying on the ground breathing heavily and said, ‘Hey, are you okay?’ – he said.
“I was like, ‘I just feel a little dizzy.’ He asked, you know: “Do you want me to examine you?”
The paramedic checked Sutanto’s vital signs and he was fine. Sutanto says he bears no ill will toward the paramedic over the bill.
Ambulance service costs vary by province
The Canada Health Act does not require emergency medical services to be funded by provincial health insurance plans, although some provinces subsidize medical transport.
Ambulance fees vary from province to province, ranging from a flat fee of $45 in Ontario to $900 in some parts of Nunavut. For non-residents the commission is usually much higher.
Under Alberta’s policy, people can expect a bill of $385 if they are taken to hospital and $250 if they are not.
“If a bystander becomes ill and agrees to be assessed by paramedics, the assessment is considered an emergency medical service (EHS), regardless of the reason the ambulance was initially dispatched,” AHSA spokesman Tom McMillan told CBC in an email.
“Any ambulance bill received is consistent with Alberta’s established EHS billing practices.”
However, he says AHSH rescinded Sutanto’s bill to “ensure clarity and transparency in the intended application of the policy for Albertans” and pledged to “work with the Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Health to review this policy.”
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This woman was mourning the death of her son. She then received an ambulance bill for $150.
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Sutanto, despite working in health care, says the bill was a wake-up call.
He’s calling on the province to automatically eliminate fees for Good Samaritans that help patients and to completely overhaul ambulance fees.
“The concern is that patients who really need it will not seek the appropriate service they may need if they are concerned about the cost,” he said.
2015 poll commissioned by CBC. Marketplace found that ambulance fees deterred 19 percent of respondents in Canada from calling an ambulance. In Alberta, the figure was even higher at 25 percent.
“We don’t want this to become a factor in getting proper care,” Sutanto said.
Still, he said, ultimately it’s good news about the benefits of CPR. The man he helped has been released from the hospital and is recovering.
“It’s a vital skill,” he said. “Quick response, quick care and access to an AED can save lives, and you never know when you might use it. This is not what we expected that day.”