The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved the Riverside County Medical Association's request to implement SB 1773 in Riverside County effective Jan. 1, 2007. SB 1773 allows a county to levy additional penalties under the Emergency Medical Services Fund, also known as the Maddy Fund.

In early 1996, Riverside County established its Maddy Fund, which generates approximately $1.8 million a year for unfunded care provided by physicians in emergency rooms. The implementation of SB 1773 will nearly double the monies available for physician reimbursement, up to almost $3.6 million.

SB 1773 permits a county to raise penalty assessments--in the amount of $2 for every $10 or fraction thereof--on court-imposed and collected fines, penalties and forfeitures for specified moving traffic violations.

SB 1773 stipulates:
- New revenue from the increased fines would be reduced by the amount for administration up to 10 percent, then a reduction of 15 percent is to be used to improve access to and coordination of pediatric trauma and emergency services, with preference given to funding hospitals that specialize in services to children, and physicians and surgeons who provide emergency care for children.

The remaining money is to be distributed in the same manner as the current distribution of fines, which is:

- 58 percent to physicians and surgeons for emergency medical services provided by all physicians and surgeons in general acute care hospitals that provide basic or comprehensive emergency services up to the time the patient is stabilized;

- 25 percent to hospitals providing disproportionate trauma and emergency medical services; and

- 17 percent for other emergency medical services purposes through the local emergency medical services agency.

These increased funds will greatly assist physicians and hospitals that treat uninsured patients, providing much needed resources to keep the emergency care system intact.

Our Riverside County Foundation for Medical Care will continue to process claims for the physician portion of the Maddy Fund and we should begin seeing this increased funding in the next several months.

If you are currently participating in the Maddy Program, you don't need to do anything to receive the increased funds. If you are not signed up to submit claims to the Maddy Program, and you provide care to uninsured patients in the emergency room or within 48 hours of admission, you can register for the program through the RCMA Web site at www.rcmanet.org or call 951/686-3342 for the forms.