"It's something that's just going to have to be dealt with," Dayton fire PIO Bryan Adams said.
Ironically, Dayton fire/medic crews more often than not take those who are seriously injured in an accident or by violence to Miami Valley Hospital -- bypassing Good Sam, even if it is closer in distance from a scene -- because Miami Valley is a Level 1 trauma center.
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"There's a component that's based on the level of care that's given to the patients and then there's a component that's based on the distance they're transported to a hospital," Adams said.
According to the city of Dayton, a basic ambulance transport to a hospital is $512 -- plus $11.78 per mile.
In 2017, Dayton fire and Emergency Medical Services ferried 4,400 patients to Good Samaritan and 13,300 to Miami Valley Hospital.
Premier Health officials point out that patients can choose which hospital they are taken to for care and many are choosing Miami Valley Hospital -- even if Good Samaritan is closer.
Officials with Premier Health also said, in a statement sent to our newsroom this afternoon, that "emergency transport destinations are driven by protocols that are overseen by an advisory board of physicians; these protocols specify that patients be transported to the most appropriate facility, not necessarily the closest.
"Patient choice is also often a consideration. Miami Valley Hospital already receives many emergency transports from Good Samaritan Hospital's service area."
While Good Samaritan Hospital and Miami Valley Hospital are five-plus miles apart, Premier Health officials said, this does not correlate to emergency transport distances because all emergency calls in question do not originate from Good Samaritan Hospital's campus on Philadelphia Drive.
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