What NEMT Brokers are Operating in my Area?
With the growing number of Medicaid beneficiaries, the NEMT industry receives lots of challenges. First of all, the issue of managing coordination between the patients and transportation providers arises. When it comes down to cost-cutting, brokers became a better replacement of publicly managed programs. With the Affordable Care Act update, the number of patients eligible for NEMT almost doubles, and the brokers face the risk of being insufficient.
Currently, the states employ different models of coordination. The main ones are brokers, Managed Care Organizations, In-House Management or Mixed model. Thirteen states are using the broker model and a couple uses it in combination with Managed Care Organizations. Hence, knowing what a broker is and how to handle business with it becomes essential for the NEMT business owners.
Why Brokers?
The state is using brokers to manage non-emergency transportation for Medicaid recipients. It is essential to understand that the regulations and specifications for providing non-emergency transportation vary from state to state.
There are two types of brokers. Statewide brokers are usually agencies that work for profit on a nationwide level. While regional brokers may have certain designated areas of operating, and sometimes are non- profit agencies.
In practice, cooperation with broker looks in the following way. They set up a call center that patients address when they need to schedule a trip. After recording the request, verifying that the person is eligible for it, they pass it to the transportation companies. Upon completing the trip, the company that provided the service has to report back. Remember, the absence of any records on the trips leads to financial losses. The danger here lays in the billing procedures of company practices. Acquiring a good -quality NEMT billing software prevents all unnecessary spending. In any case, making sure that you read the updated version of the specifications from the broker is never a waste.
Before you start cooperation with a broker, certain requirements should be fulfilled. Since the industry is evolving and the services are improving, some brokers might require the company to have software. In the nearest future, the software will be a must-have item.
Statewide and Regional Brokers Overview
LogistiCare has been a chosen broker for quite impressive amount of years. The headquarters located in Atlanta, Georgia. Address their website of call center to get more information on cooperation at logisticare.com.
MTM is a provider of more than just transport services. They hire a wide range of medical service providers and have the reputation of an influential national broker. LogistiCare and MTM are probably the two leading companies in the broker market. MTM expands its presence to 29 states.
Access2Care was initially focusing on emergency cases. Currently, the company works in 33 states and the District of Columbia. The manual for transportation providers who want to join the broker is on their website Access2Care.net.
Brokers are contracted agencies. In the same way as any contractor, when not performing on the level required, their contracts get terminated. In Arkansas, for example, MTM was a leading broker for a couple of years, but due to the poor performance, they were informed about the early termination. Arkansas DHS switched to another bidder, a broker as well, Southeastrans.
Get acquainted with the list of brokers that gained most success and attention. Knowing their operating procedures helps to establish smooth cooperation. Look for the resources at the Department of Health website of your state. Washington State, for example, gives an interactive map of brokers county by county. Visit hca.wa.gov to see the map along with the list of contacts. Regional brokers in Washington State are People for People, Special Mobility Services, and many others.
Saving money tops the list of priorities for the state and brokers. To do that, they look for optimization solutions. Regardless of the company size, management needs to keep up with the times and get updated. Looking for solutions to minimize your expenses and make the company competitive leads to smart ISI Technology software. The sooner a company acquires transport software, the easier its cooperation with other entities will be.
One thought on “What NEMT Brokers are Operating in my Area?”
Transportation brokers in Tallahassee Florida