By MIKE CORN

mcorn@dailynews.net

WaKEENEY -- State regulators are giving the troubled Trego County ambulance service about 10 days to get into compliance or face the possibility of losing its license.

Trego County commissioners Tuesday sought insight on the situation from Kerry McCue, director of Ellis County Emergency Medical Services.

By meeting's end, McCue had volunteered to contact the Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services to explain that Trego County was taking steps to come into compliance.

While the ambulance service has been beset with problems for more than a year now, commissioners last week were notified that so-called Quality Assurance reviews had not been completed.

While reviews are missing for the first six months of the year, it's unclear if the reviews had been conducted earlier.

Trego County Commissioner Kendall Ottley wanted to know if earlier review forms had been found. Interim ambulance director Jennifer McMahan said they had not.

The review, McCue said, is essentially a look at what took place on an ambulance run. It is a review made by a physician. In Ellis County's case, all are reviewed internally, and specific types of cases are forwarded on for review by a physician.

McMahan said two physicians were ready to conduct the reviews for this year and hope to be able to complete the work in relatively short order.

Failure to comply with the state-imposed guidelines, regulators wrote in their Sept. 1 letter to commissioners individually, could result in the revocation of the county's license to provide ambulance services. McCue's suggestion was to contact the state board to let them know that the county is working to get into compliance on the quality assurance issues.

Commission Chairman Dean Papes plans to call the board as well, and send a letter letting the board know the county is working to coming into compliance.

Trego County's ambulance service has faced difficulties during the past year. Initially, there were problems with billing of ambulance runs, and commissioners replaced the existing director with yet another director. That director, however, left after a short time in place.

The county is pursuing the hiring of a new director and has received at least one application.

They also are looking at the overall operation of the ambulance service.