Contact: Claire Smith
(608) 266-1683
MADISON— The Department of Health Services today announced its intent to award a contract to Medical Transportation Management, Inc. (MTM) to manage non-emergency medical transportation services for certain Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus members. MTM will replace LogistiCare as the state’s non-emergency medical transportation services manager.
MTM submitted the highest scoring proposal. Upon issuance of this intent to award, the Department will begin to negotiate the final contract terms with MTM .The implementation date of which MTM will begin to manage non-emergency medical transportation services for Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus members will be determined as a part of the contract negotiation process.
“One of the Department’s top priorities has been to secure a new transportation services manager who will be able to assist certain Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus members to get to their covered medical services if they have no other way to get there,” said Secretary Kitty Rhoades. “It is also important for BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid members who schedule rides to covered services through the current NEMT manager, LogistiCare, to know that there are no changes for them at this time and they should continue scheduling rides through LogistiCare.”
The Department is pursuing a statewide contract for a transportation services manager to coordinate these services among members and providers by arranging for the most appropriate means of transportation for each eligible member. Providers can include local transportation entities and common carriers such as buses and taxis.
Through this contract, the Department plans to:
* Ensure that certain Wisconsin Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus members have reasonable and timely access to transportation to covered services;
* Ensure that certain Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus members use the most appropriate and economical mode of transportation;
* Eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus transportation;
* Increase overall efficiency within the Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus non-emergency medical transportation program; and,
* Collect and report transportation data to enable the Department to more closely manage this benefit.
The new contract will incorporate changes based on feedback from members and stakeholders. These changes include:
* A requirement that members and health care providers are able to create reservations online;
* A requirement that members have the ability to submit complaints online;
* A clarification and implementation of member appeals and fair hearing process; and
* The ability for the Department to impose liquidated damages for issues such as:
— Failing to provide transportation;
— Transportation providers arriving late;
— Transportation providers using vehicles that do not meet established vehicle standards;
— Transportation providers failing to transport members to dialysis and cancer treatments and getting members there on time; and
— Ensuring call hold times are within compliance minimums.
More information about the RFP and the letter of intent to award can be found at http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/rfp/ .
Visit http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/aboutdhs/initiatives/transportation/index.htm for more information about non-emergency medical transportation for certain Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus members.
