At IEN’s Medicare and Medicaid Supplemental Benefit Design Conference last week in San Diego, Mike Dunne, VP of Healthcare & Transit, and Kelly Chang, Director of Ops at Vitality Health Plan, led a session to provide a roadmap for a seamless transportation benefit integration. During the presentation, they spoke about the importance of access to transportation for healthcare plans; studies now show that between one in ten and one in two patients identified transportation as a barrier to accessing health care. Missed appointments can not only create inconvenience for patients and providers, but also lead to poorer health outcomes and increased emergency or urgent care visits.
With two different backgrounds in transportation and healthcare, Mr. Dunne and Ms. Chang offered unique perspectives and advice for organizations considering adding transportation benefits. Mr. Dunne has 13 years of experience in transportation, working with American Logistics and helping clients implement transportation benefits. Before joining Vitality Health Plan, Kelly was with the Corporate Medicare Administration team at Molina Healthcare Inc., where she managed performance of Medicare Advantage plans across various states. Prior to Molina, Kelly was with Care1st Health Plan (BlueShield of CA), where she launched and administered the Medicare and Medicaid integrated model for the dual eligible population.
The pair presented five myths about adding transportation benefits, providing guidance for organizations considering different solutions by arming audience members with the right questions to ask when vetting their options. As transportation opportunities within healthcare have evolved over the last decade, these are the top concerns our team hears from potential clients:
Myth #5) Worried About Fraud, Waste & Abuse
This is a completely valid concern for organizations when they are unsure about the management of verification for ride requests. The 24/7 customer service team at American Logistics has a proven process that includes monitoring trip reason, plan-approved locations, and member eligibility verification.
Myth #4) Too Much Elbow Grease
When considering adding transportation benefits, organizations have a wide range of options for managing the workload. From doing everything in house and working with local service providers to hiring a broker and outsourcing certain pieces of the process, it can be overwhelming to assess the necessary work. While American Logistics’ service offerings are customizable, we provide best-in-class quality service that includes white-labeled technology and a dedicated field operations team.
Myth #3) Designing the Benefit
Preparing to file with the CMS can be difficult, when gauging utilization for different populations and creating successful workflows. Our knowledgeable team can offer guidance on setting expectations for trip counts, utilization, and keeping everything within your budget.
Myth #2) We Can’t Afford That
If your organization doesn’t currently offer transportation, the added cost and management may seem steep. American Logistics will help create custom parameters that work for your budget and enforce these limitations, such as ride capitation and maximum trip length.
Myth #1) Hurts Our Star Rating
The grievance issue may hold true for some transportation brokers, but our organization prides itself on offering high-quality service and maintaining positive relationships through open communication with local service providers. When transitioning a client’s transportation benefit from a different vendor, American Logistics will often offer a pilot program to demonstrate the quality of our services.
If you’re ready to talk with American Logistics about how to mitigate these issues and implement a transportation benefit for your organization, get started with a free analysis through the button below.