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Please select a catagory to find your question. General Questions
Billing Q: Why are Southwest Ambulances painted so many different colors?
For 9-1-1 ambulances dedicated to a specific community, we often paint vehicles to match the City Fire Department truck's colors. We also have an arch stating the City the ambulance is dedicated to about the Southwest logo on the sides of the ambulance. Also, many but not all of our pre-scheduled non-emergency ambulances are painted blue. Q: How do I apply for a job?
View the apply section under employment or go to "Apply" for more information Q: Can I get an ambulance to visit my community or organization event?
Yes, e-mail event details and your contact information to:
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Questions about our Billing Process: Q: What is your Billing/ Customer Service Phone Number?
Q: Where do I send my payment?
Q: How did you receive my insurance information if I did not give it to you?
Q: How do you set your ambulance charges?
Q: I gave you my insurance information during the transport...why did you bill me?
Q: When will I get my refund if I am owed a refund?
Q: What if the insurance company paid me instead of the ambulance company?
Q: Why is this Southwest Ambulance...I was transported by Rural Metro Ambulance (or vice-versa)
Q: If the patient is deceased, what is my next step as their representative?
Q: Do you bill automobile insurances?
Q: How do I make a credit card payment?
Q: To whom do I write the check?
Q: How do I get on a payment plan?
Q: My insurance company tells me I don't owe anything, why are you billing me?
Q: How can I be sure my secondary insurance has been billed?
Q: Why was my bill denied?
Q: Why does your bill state I haven’t responded to your prior requests when I have called?
Q: Why did the EMT tell me I wouldn’t be responsible for any charges?
Q: Why did you not take me to the nearest hospital?
Q: What is your Billing/ Customer Service Phone Number? 480-627-6000 or 800-645-9902 Q: Where do I send my payment? Southwest Ambulance
PO Box 53569
Phoenix, AZ 85072 | Rural Metro Ambulance
PO Box 53577
Phoenix, AZ 85072 | Southwest Ambulance
PO Box 410474
Salt Lake City, Utah 84141 | Southwest Ambulance
PO Box 26896
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87125 |
Q: How did you receive my insurance information if I did not give it to you? If Southwest Ambulance or Rural/ Metro has transported you in the past, we keep all insurance information on file. We also obtain information from Hospitals, care facilities, and Doctor offices. Q: How do you set your ambulance charges? Southwest Ambulance does not set the rates we charge. The local State or County regulating agency sets all rates. Q: I gave you my insurance information during the transport...why did you bill me? At times we don’t received ALL the information needed at the time of transport due to the medics main concern is your treatment and transport. Many insurance companies have multiple claim submission addresses. We also send out a Patient Notification when billing some insurance that can be mistaken as a bill. Please be sure to read all information on your invoice. Q: When will I get my refund if I am owed a refund? Refunds typically take 3 to 5 weeks to process. Q: What if the insurance company paid me instead of the ambulance company? Please sign the back of the check and forward to the addresses listed above. Q: Why is this Southwest Ambulance...I was transported by Rural Metro Ambulance (or vice-versa) Rural Metro and Southwest Ambulance are sister companies and share the same billing facility. Q: If the patient is deceased, what is my next step as their representative? Please call our customer service line at 480-627-6000 or 800-645-9902 for direct assistance or information. Q: Do you bill automobile insurances? Yes, we will bill your auto insurance company but we will not bill any third party auto insurance. We also don’t wait for payment from Auto insurance companies so you will be responsible to pay while the claim is being settled. Q: How do I make a credit card payment? Please visit our online payment service: www.ruralmetro.com/speedpay You may also call our Customer Service Line at 480-627-6000 or 800-645-9902 and we will take your information by phone. Q: To whom do I write the check? Please make your check out to the provider listed in the top left hand corner of your statement. Please make sure to always include your coupon with your payment and write your invoice number on your check. Q: How do I get on a payment plan? Please call our Customer Service Line at 480-627-6000 or 800-645-9902. Q: My insurance company tells me I don't owe anything, why are you billing me? By Arizona Law, ambulance transport companies may NOT discount Emergency transports. If your insurance company has paid less that 100%, please be sure the remaining balance is not a co-pay or a deductible. If you are sure you don’t have a co-pay please call your insurance company to inquire as to why they didn’t pay in full. Keep in mind that NO ambulance transports that are Emergency in nature are contracted. The exception to the above statement would be some government programs. If you feel this applies please call our customer service line for further clarification. Q: How can I be sure my secondary insurance has been billed? If we have your complete secondary insurance information, it will be billed immediately after we received payment from your primary. If your primary insurance (or secondary) denied you may receive a bill from us. Q: Why was my bill denied? There are many reasons why an ambulance transport can be denied. Please call your insurance company first to obtain further information regarding your denial. The only information we receive on denials is brief and at times can be non-descriptive. Q: Why does your bill state I haven’t responded to your prior requests when I have called? The billing system is payment driven and moves in a cycle. If no payment is received, bills will be generated with standard verbiage. Q: Why did the EMT tell me I wouldn’t be responsible for any charges? EMT’s could be referring to our policy of not billing patients while claim in processing. If we receive a denial or don’t have any insurance information you will receive a bill. Other FAQ questions Q: What is the difference between ALS and BLS? BLS stands for Basic Life Support. During a BLS level transport, Emergency Medical Technicians are permitted to administer oxygen, apply splints and render basic medical care. ALS stands for Advance Life Support. During an ALS level transport, Paramedics or Registered Nurses are permitted to administer approved medications and IV’s. Q: Why did you not take me to the nearest hospital? Southwest’s goal is always to take the patient to the closest, most appropriate hospital to ensure patients are seen quickly. Whenever possible, we will do our best to take you to the hospital of your choice. Some emergencies though, require a higher level of hospital such as a trauma level hospital. In these cases, we may pass closer hospitals to you to the hospital that is best qualified to help you during your emergency. Other times, an ambulance may be diverted in route to another facility because of hospital overcrowding and unavailability of hospital staff to deal with your emergency in the most timely matter.
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