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Austin-Travis Co EMS Could Be Audited By City


Austin-Travis County EMS could soon be investigated. The Public Safety Commission voted unanimously on Monday in favor of an audit, citing problems with staffing and wasted taxpayer dollars.

Currently there are 47 job openings for positions like paramedics and EMT’s. Commission member Michael Levy says the turnover rate is affecting patient care.

“You have a study that morale is not much better than prison guards. It's a fairly significant situation,” said levy.

This is not the first time the department has been questioned.

A few months ago, EMS was audited. The city found the department billed $112 million during the fiscal years of 2010 through 2011. Yet EMS only collected $33 million.

The completed investigation said auditors found $208,128 worth of undeposited checks in an open container and $679 in cash.

Around the same time of that audit, KEYE TV looked into EMS’s newly purchased Ford ambulances. We discovered city council approved the purchase of 20 vehicles costing taxpayers more than $3 million. EMS told us six engines had to be replaced under warranty, causing staff to switch into older vehicles, impacting their workload.

We reached out to EMS for a comment on the possibility of an audit; however, they were unavailable.

In the meeting, the Austin-Travis Co. EMS Employee Association claimed it was not an opportune time for the department to be audited because they are going through changes in healthcare reform and their new affiliation with the medical school.

The Public Safety Commission will bring their recommendation to City Council in the near future.

By Christie Post