Owing to the growing number of Medicaid beneficiaries, the NEMT industry has continued to deal with certain challenges and issues.
One of those is the issue of handling the core business area of the industry and the coordination between patients and NEMT providers.
In the United States, different states leverage different models of coordination. The primary ones are brokers, Managed Care Organizations, In-House Management, or Mixed model. NEMT brokers are arguably the most widely used since they are a better replacement for publicly managed programs.
These brokers are people or businesses tasked with scheduling trips, coordinating with providers, and securing rides for men and women who require transportation to a healthcare visit.
Brokers are big and small, local, regional, and national; however, they all carry out the same function: handle all necessary paperwork for NEMT business.
These brokers are very essential to the business of medical transportation. They more or less enter into contracts with state Medicaid agencies to make available rides to elderly and low-income citizens. This begins with the state agency that is tasked with overseeing the management of the Medicaid healthcare benefit.
Note that state Medicaid agencies can handle the authorization of NEMT coverage, or they can contract another entity – a transportation broker or a managed care organization – to handle NEMT coverage.
If a state chooses to work with a broker, they have to select a broker based on several qualifications like cost, experience, and knowledge of their region.
Note that the selected broker’s primary responsibility will be to guarantee that members are moved by licensed and well-established transportation providers.
Other responsibilities may include but are not limited to, provider management, eligibility verification, trip reporting, and grievance management.
Depending on the size of your NEMT business and what you intend to achieve, there are numerous types of brokers considered in the United States, especially as a private NEMT business. You must take a closer look at the different broker types so you can decide who will be best for you.
List of Companies That File Paperwork for NEMT Business
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LogistiCare
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, LogistiCare is noted as the country’s biggest NEMT broker, boasting of over 5,000 transportation providers and partners. You can visit their address, website, or contact their call center to get more information.
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Alivi
This is a well-renowned NEMT broker with operations in almost every state in the United States. Alivi is a broker that has long been making waves as the conduit of public-private funding partnerships for paratransit. In recent times, they have partnered with a program that serves Medicare recipients in Florida.
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MTM
MTM remains one of the nation’s biggest and most experienced transportation brokers known to always go out of its way to make available customized solutions specifically tailored to suit its clients’ needs.
Boasting over 25 years of experience in the NEMT industry, MTM is well-experienced in helping medical transportation businesses take on their greatest challenges.
From putting into action in-person assessments and travel training that bolster low-cost mode assignment to introducing routing and scheduling efficiencies, MTM handles every aspect of the medical transportation programs they operate.
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Access2Care
According to reports, this company initially was meant for just emergency cases. However, in recent times, the company has expanded its offering and now works in 33 states and the District of Columbia. The manual for transportation providers who want to join this broker is on their website Access2Care.net.
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Secure Transportation
This is a regional broker well noted on the West Coast and Southwest (except for Oregon and Nevada) regions of the US. According to reports, they now cover Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, New Jersey, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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National MedTrans
National MedTrans is a mid-size broker known to operate in numerous states including California, Nevada, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and New York.
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OneCall
This is another top medical transport broker that serves both national and international needs for everything from NEMT to air ambulances.
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Veyo
Have it in mind that this is a mid-size broker that markets itself as “the next generation” of medical transport. Veyo is renowned in different states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, and Virginia. Veyo Platform tracks everything from eligibility to credentialing to call center records, ensuring complete data for each trip.
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The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA)
This is a public transit organization that offers a mixture of NEMT/Paratransit operations as well as shuttle services to larger transit hubs. Also, note that they offer contracts for private bidders.
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Southeastrans
Just as the name implies, this broker works with transportation companies mainly in the southeast, including Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington DC.
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Rural Transit Enterprises Coordinated, Inc.
Rural Transit Enterprises Coordinated is renowned in Southeastern Kentucky owing to its innovative business model that has helped local transit organizations save money while expanding services to riders with special needs.
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Provide-a-Ride
This is a broker that handles a wide range of transportation needs in Ohio (including NEMT) by partnering with both public and private organizations. Have it in mind that the area subcontractors can bid for is generally in Northern Ohio.
As a NEMT business, you must get acquainted with the list of brokers that made the most success and attention. Knowing their operating procedures helps to establish smooth cooperation.
Whether you’re just getting started as a NEMT business or you’ve been operating for years, depending on your specific business, you might find that local brokers make the most sense, or you may decide that a mix of nationwide, regional, and state is best for you.