Woman frustrated with ambulance service switch in Sand Springs

A woman is frustrated with the change in ambulance service in Sand Springs after she has been paying EMSA for years, but when her husband needed it, he wasn’t covered.

The City of Sand Springs changed ambulance providers from EMSA to Mercy Regional in January.

FEELING BLINDSIDED

Peggy Thornton called an ambulance for her husband in April at their Sand Springs address in Osage County.

She asked for EMSA, because she had been paying yearly for EMSAcare that covers ambulance rides. She was shocked EMSA no longer covered Sand Springs, and instead, it was Mercy Regional.

"I'm afraid to call an ambulance service now, because I'm going to have that out-of-pocket,” said Thornton. “We pay all of our hospital bills, so when my husband has to go to the hospital, we know we're going to have to pay those bills. But we had EMSACare, so we knew if we called the ambulance at least, that part was covered."

She says she was never notified about the switch and feels misled.

Thornton’s husband is uninsured because she says it’s cheaper to pay cash for his hospital bills.

Under EMSAcare, ambulance rides were covered at 100% for uninsured people.

She wishes she would have been told she needed to stop paying EMSA and start paying the new provider, Mercy Regional.

"It says right here, Mercy has the same program and the same benefits,” said Thornton. “MercyCare will continue to pay all out-of-pocket expenses not covered by your insurance. EMSA covered if you were uninsured, also."

Thornton says she hopes to make people aware the ambulance service has changed so they don’t get stuck with a bill like she did.

"Have a little safety net,” said Thornton. “Honestly, if I would have realized, I would have probably drove him into Tulsa, and then had an ambulance pick him up there, so I wouldn't have had to pay the 800 and something dollars."

CITY RESPONSE

Sand Springs Fire Chief Jeremy Wade-Sims says they let people know about the switch beforehand through several different channels, and the switch was made to make ambulance service better and faster.

He sent News On 6 the following statement:

“The reference of them being the “same”, or “identical” coverage is referencing the fact that both fees covered charges from EMSA previously and Mercy currently for a subsidy. This subsidy charged by both entities is in excess of $300,000 annually. The second part of the fee assists homeowners if they use the ambulance, helping them cover any residual that their insurance does not pay. Both Mercy and EMSA through these fees write off residual amounts to citizens not covered by insurance. This is where they’re identical.

In regards to a person uninsured Mercy EMS writes off 60% of their bill and allows payments for the residual. This information was relayed repeatedly to all residents during the transition from EMSA to Mercy EMS. The city utilized local news, social media, the City of Sand Springs website, FAQs, videos, water bills, and open houses to address all the changes well before the transfer took place. Specifically, during an open forum at a Sand Springs City Council meeting multiple people showed up and welcomed the change to Mercy EMS.

While things regarding ambulance service, billing, and insurance are dynamic and not always perfect, the overall issue was to provide a great service to our citizens through increased response times. For the month of May 2025, the response time for Mercy EMS compliance was 93%. The increased compliance and Paramedic level care have brought about very positive changes to our citizens. 

We do think it is important to encourage people to take advantage of insurance offered through their employer, State of Oklahoma or the Federal exchanges to make sure they are covered in times of need.”

MERCY REGIONAL RESPONSE

Mercy Regional says it can’t comment on any specifics of this case, but sent News On 6 the following statement:

"Mercy Regional Ambulance Care serves as the contracted provider for emergency medical transport in the area; however, we must respectfully decline participation in any story involving specific patients or individual cases, as doing so would constitute a violation of federal HIPAA privacy regulations.

Additionally, we are not able to comment on the terms or administration of previous coverage agreements between EMSA and the City of Sand Springs, as we were not a party to those arrangements. All contractual parameters governing Mercy Regional’s current services in Sand Springs — including service area, billing structure and coverage details — are determined by the City of Sand Springs.

We would like to note that it is our policy in every community we serve to work hand-in-hand with city officials and support their residents by offering a 60% reduction in fees for any uninsured or uncovered patient. This discount is applied directly by Mercy Regional as part of our commitment to equitable access to emergency care."

EMSA RESPONSE

A spokesman for EMSA sent News On 6 the following statement:

“EMSA proudly served the City of Sand Springs for four decades. In the past few years, we had open conversations with the City of Sand Springs about their desire for an EMS service tailored to their needs – much like how the EMSA Trust was established in 1977 to meet the EMS needs of the City of Tulsa. EMSA worked with the City of Sand Springs and their new EMS provider to ensure a smooth transition.”

FURTHER INFORMATION

Here is a PDF of the questions and answers on the City of Sand Springs website:

For more information on Mercy Care in Sand Springs visit: FAQs • Mercy Care (formerly EMSA Total Care) and Rural Fire & EMS Fees | Sand Springs, OK - Official Website

For more information on EMSA visit: Home - EMSA

For more information on Mercy Regional visit: Mercy Regional EMS