A study showing 30 to 40 percent of requests for private, nonemergency ambulance service are turned down in West Oahu has prompted a City Council member and the Emergency Services Department to support having a second private provider.

Councilwoman Kimberly Pine said the lack of private ambulance services was "deeply concerning" and "unacceptable."

Pine said a second private ambulance company would improve nonemergency services, encourage competition, reduce the number of patients who might fall into serious or critical condition while awaiting a response, and probably result in savings by reducing emergency hospital stays.

"Are we sure we’re getting the best prices for taxpayers?" she asked.

Pine said sometimes patients who receive state-subsidized care need transport from emergency care facilities to long-term care facilities and delays in transport can cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.

Under the system now in place, emergency calls are handled by the city Emergency Medical Services ambulances, and American Medical Response was awarded a contract to provide backup emergency medical services and non-emergency services.

The study, released Thursday and conducted by the city, covered the period from Aug. 18 through October.

The department said a "turndown call" occurs when the city’s dispatcher asks AMR for backup help and the company can’t handle the call due to lack of available resources.

Speedy Bailey, AMR’s general manager, said the information in the city’s study is inaccurate.

Bailey said that under the contract, AMR has an hour to respond to nonemergency calls.

He said the study, however, classifies a request to AMR as "unmet" if the city’s EMS ambulance is available and can get to the call before his company can.

"The data is cloudy … If given an hour to go to calls, we would never turn down a call," said Bailey. "There is no unmet need for more services and ambulance … We’ve handled thousands of calls without turndowns."

Bailey said AMR has held the city contract continuously since 1998.

A budget of $320,000 was authorized for the contract for 2012-2013.

Kokua Ambulance LLC has applied for a state certificate of need from the State Health Planning & Development Agency to provide ambulance service on Oahu.

Pine said she and Councilman Ron Menor asked for the study after receiving calls from residents complaining about the lack of timely nonemergency ambulance services.