TO: Medicaid Transportation Providers (TP)

FROM:NYSDOH – Bureau of Medicaid Transportation (NYSDOH BMT)

DATE:April 30, 2018

RE: How Medicaid Trips are Assigned to Transportation Providers (TP)

An important change in how Medicaid Trips are assigned to Medicaid TPs will start on June 1, 2018.

The Medicaid Transportation Program exists to facilitate access to Medicaid covered medical services for qualified Medicaid enrollees. Upon review, the Bureau has determined that Medicaid trip assignments that are reassigned, for any reason, substantially reduce the likelihood that the Medicaid enrollee arrives at their medical appointment on time and therefore are a detriment to our mission of medical care access.

The NYSDOH BMT will continue its policy of discouraging Medicaid trip assignments and has instructed the Department’s Transportation Manager, MAS, to improve Transportation Providers’ technological control of their availability to accept and complete Medicaid trip assignments safely, timely, and cost effectively.

The Department has required MAS to have these improvements in place by June 1, 2018. Additionally, the Department has required MAS to offer on-site training for all TPs concerning these changes. MAS will be reaching out to all TPs by email, MAS Message Alert and phone to facilitate any training needs.

Starting June 1, 2018,some of the new requirements will include:

  1. The Transportation Provider Profile (TPP) must indicate the zip codes in which the transportation provider (TP) will accept trip assignments.
  2. The TPP must indicate the days and hours the provider is available for trip assignments. Additionally, the TPP must indicate the maximum number of trip assignments per day the TP can accommodate.
  3. TPs must accept trips that are assigned within their TPP. Trip re-assignments are highly discouraged. All trip re-assignments must be called into the MAS call center. The electronic reassign feature will be turned off as of June 1, 2018. Re-assigned trips will be reported to the NYSDOH.
  4. MAS will not call TPs to inquire about availability starting on June 1, 2018. Availability information is controlled by the TP and must be managed in real time.

If you have any questions please contact your MAS Field Liaison:

New York CityMegan

New York CityCarrie

Hudson Valley/Capital DistrictShelly

Finger lakes/AdirondacksLeslie

Western New YorkJavier