MedRide FAQs: your medical transportation questions answered.
Navigating your Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) can be overwhelming, especially given changing regulations, shifting insurance requirements, and evolving documentation needs for both patients and facilities. That is why we created this FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to help answer the most common medical transportation questions we hear from our clients.
We will continue updating this resource as new questions arise. If you do not find what you are looking for below, please reach out to us through our contact page or feel free to call our customer service team. We are here to help however we can.
NEMT Eligibility & Policy Questions
Who qualifies for non-emergency medical transportation in Colorado?
Q: How do I get set up to use non emergency medical transportation?
A: The first step to get set up is to check to see if you qualify for NEMT (Non-Emergency Medical Transportation) through your insurance provider. See our Medicaid Rides webpage for a more complete list of eligibility restrictions in Colorado. If you think that you may qualify for our service, please follow the instructions at the bottom of that page to schedule your medical transportation through MedRide LLC.
Next, if for whatever reason you do not qualify under Medicaid or your other insurance provider, please note that we also offer Private Pay options for people who need to pay out of pocket for their non-emergency medical transportation.
Lastly, once you have a better sense of your qualifications, or if still you have any additional questions that are not answered on this FAQ page, please reach out to our main phone line at: 719-545-3333 for inquiries and to schedule.
Q: I do not have Medicaid, can I still use your medical transportation services?
A: Yes! Our company also offers Private Pay medical transportation options for our clients. That includes both our ambulatory or wheelchair medical transportation services. Please see our Private Pay webpage for more details, including a cost calculator and a coverage area map that shows where we can deliver those services to you in the state of Colorado.
Q: I have Medicare, can I use your services?
A: If you have a Medicare or Private Insurance plan, please call the number on your insurance card to check for your medical transportation benefits. If eligible, you can request MedRide as your service provider if your plan partners with us. If you do not have coverage, our Private Pay team may be able to help you, depending on which county you live in, and your vehicle needs and restrictions. Please call 719-545-3333, Option 5 from the phone menu for a price quote today.
Q: What is the reason for the eligibility questions?
A: NEMT (Non-Emergency Medical Transportation) is a medical service covered by Medicaid, so it is heavily regulated by state and federal laws. This is primarily in an effort to mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse, as well as to safeguard the wellbeing of the patients who utilize these services, by means of compliance with HIPPA (the patient health information privacy rules).
For our company to stay in compliance with these government entities and maintain our proper licensure, there are many eligibility verification steps that we must take for each and every client.
Additionally, these steps are important for accurate client and facility billing, service matching, and more. On the bright side, there are also strict regulations on the other hand for our drivers to be able to work for our company, such as things like background checks, drug screenings, and more, all of which add additional layers of safety and peace of mind for you as the passenger during your medical transportation journey.
Q: Why don't you provide rides to certain facilities including chiropractors, adult day cares, or certain other medically adjacent services?
A: MedRide is subject to all local and national laws and legislation. During a time when Medicaid funding is being called into question for the purposes of government budget reductions, in the name of reducing fraud, waste, and abuse by bad actors in the NEMT (Non-emergency Medical Transportation) industry, we are duty bound to follow all laws and restrictions put in place by the State of Colorado’s Department of HCPF (Department of Health Care Policy and Financing) as well as all applicable national rules regarding your Medicaid covered services.
If a service is deemed by government to no longer be covered under Medicaid or other insurance providers, we as a company must honor those changes, or face severe regulatory penalties, including, but not limited to, the suspension or revocation of our state NEMT (non-emergency medical transportation) license. To continue to service the needs of the many, we must occasionally sacrifice services that are being cut from the Medicaid program.
If this sounds like your situation, we as a company deeply sympathize with you, and so you know, remain a major advocate for patient-first care in Colorado.
Booking & Scheduling
Planning the Logistics of Your Medical Transportation
Q: How far in advance of the appointment do I need to schedule my ride(s)?
A: For local appointments, we recommend calling us at least 48 hours in advance. For any appointments 25 miles or beyond from the pick up point, the Health First Colorado Medicaid program has implemented a state required form to be filled out by your medical provider’s office.
For appointments more than 25 miles away from your pick up point, we recommend contacting us within at least 2-3 weeks of your appointment date with the name of the facility, facility address, their fax number, the name of your medical provider, and your appointment date and time, so we can send the form to them in a timely manner.
Q: How far ahead can I schedule my medical transportation appointments?
A: Our current internal scheduling system is designed to provide patients, caregivers, and facilities with an organized and dependable way to plan ahead for your transportation needs. At this time, we are able to schedule your medical transportation appointments as far as four weeks in advance from the date you contact us.
This scheduling window helps ensure that we can coordinate our drivers, vehicles, and routes in the most efficient manner possible while still allowing flexibility for urgent or unexpected transportation issues that may arise closer to the appointment date (traffic, construction, road closures, etc.). By offering up to four weeks of advance scheduling, our team is able to better balance demand, provide reliable ride availability, and help ensure you have peace of mind knowing that your transportation arrangements are secured well before your service date.
Q: Can someone I know accompany me to my appointment?
A: You are permitted to have a family member, homecare nurse, escort, and/or child (car seat required for children 9 and under per CO state law), etc. ride along with you under the following circumstances:
- Child or At Risk Adult* Accompaniment
- Children and/or siblings of a member or the child or children of the member’s escort may use NEMT (non-emergency medical transportation) in the following circumstances:
- The child or children may accompany the Medicaid member if the member does not have the following for the duration of the trip to and from the medical services:
- Access to childcare for their child or children
- Access to care for an At Risk Adult for whom the member is responsible
- If a member’s escort does not have access to childcare for the member’s siblings for the duration of the trip to and from the member’s medical services, the member’s siblings may accompany the member.
- The escort’s children or At Risk Adult, or both, may accompany the member and the escort if the member’s escort does not have the following for the duration of the trip to and from the member’s medically necessary services:
- Access to childcare for their children
- Access to care for an At Risk Adult for whom the escort is responsible
- The child or children may accompany the Medicaid member if the member does not have the following for the duration of the trip to and from the medical services:
- Children and/or siblings of a member or the child or children of the member’s escort may use NEMT (non-emergency medical transportation) in the following circumstances:
- At Risk Adult* means an individual who is eighteen (18) years of age or older:
- Who is susceptible to mistreatment because they are unable to perform or obtain services necessary for their health, safety and welfare; or,
- Who lacks sufficient understanding or capacity to make or communicate responsible decisions concerning their person or affairs.
- Persons are not considered “At Risk” solely because of age and/or disability status.
Q: What should I do if I need to cancel or reschedule my trip?
A: Please call us at 719-545-3333, Option 2 for urgent assistance with cancellations and reschedules. Please contact us as soon as you know you will need to cancel your trip.
Q: Why does a 25+ mile form need to be completed for my trip?
A: For appointments 25 miles or beyond from your pick up point, Health First Colorado Medicaid has implemented a state required form to be filled out by your medical provider’s office. Without this form completed, we are unable to provide rides to and from your long distance medical appointments.
Q: Do I have to be picked up from my home address?
A: Our medical transportation service is permitted to provide pick ups and drop offs from practically anywhere within our service areas (please note these service areas are different for both our Medicaid and Private Pay options). There are some variables that may affect this so please be aware that there may be restrictions on certain trips. Upon calling in to schedule, please advise us if you need a pick up from an alternative address or if you will need to be dropped off elsewhere following your medical appointment.
General Questions & Feedback
Miscellaneous Questions, and How to Leave Us Feedback
Q: What is the cost of your service?
A: Much like a ride share service, NEMT (Non-Emergency Medical Transportation) is billed by mileage. There are also load fees applied depending on the level of service required. Depending on whether the service is billed through Medicaid or Private Pay, the billing may be handled differently, however all rates are set and determined based on the “Medicaid Allowable Rates.”
Q: Do you offer non-medical transportation under Medicaid transportation Colorado?
A: No. MedRide’s NEMT (non-emergency medical transportation) services are specifically for doctor’s appointments or other covered medical services. These medical transportation services are not available for things like completing job interviews, going shopping, going to the movies, or filling out other paperwork.
Q: Can you drive me to pick up my prescriptions?
A: Although we have advertised in the past that you are not allowed to use NEMT (non-emergency medical transportation) services for picking up your prescriptions, it seems that the rules around that are a bit different these days. Now we can drive you to pick up your prescriptions! Those ride costs are based on the total trip milage, so please keep that in mind. To schedule these trips, please reach out to our main office number today to talk with one of our representitives.
Q: Do they also take you home after the appointments?
A: Yes, we can also arrange a return journey for our clients (most of them do need one), although please keep in mind that these are billed as a separate cost, very similar to how a ride share service would be billed.
Q: Why have you not received my forms yet?
A: There are certain variables that could potentially affect your form being received. The facility may still have the form on their end, and it is still waiting to be completed or sent to us via fax or by email. Delays could ensue if the provider sent in a form with errors that must be corrected per Medicaid’s verious standards and guidelines. Please know that we understand that the urgency of receiving these forms for your medical transportation to occur, and work tirelessly to help you get to your appointments.
When we do receive, review, approve, and process your form(s), you will receive a call to schedule your trip – so long as everything is acceptable per the standards set by state Medicaid.
Q: Can I tip your drivers?
A: Though we appreciate the thought and courtesy, our drivers are currently unable to accept tips for providing medical transportation to and from your appointments.
Q: Do I get penalized for any cancelled rides?
A: There is no penalty for cancelling individual rides, although we would very much appreciate cancellations be made in advance of the scheduled ride date and time.
We do offer recurring trips for clients that need the exact same type of ride to and from the same location(s) on the same days of the week and times. If too many recurring rides are missed or cancelled at the door, it can cause a temporary suspension to be placed on the client’s recurring schedule. To have recurring trips reinstated, clients would have to schedule a day in advance, for two weeks straight, directly to the facility, and also attend without missing any rides during that time period.
Q: Is there a limit on how many rides I can schedule?
A: Luckily, there is no limit to the number of rides you can schedule, however, there are some variables that can affect that fact. Specifically, having an active state Medicaid plan and meeting the Medicaid required NEMT (non-emergency medical transportation) criteria allows for your medical transportation to occur smoothly to and from your Medicaid billed appointments.
Q: Does MedRide offer mileage reimbursement?
A: Although we do not provide or handle reimbursements for medical transportation, we recommend using this link to reach the responsible party of the process and conditions that may affect your eligibility for reimbursement.
Q: What Colorado counties do you service?
A: The answer will depend on what payment method you plan to use. If you plan on using our service through your insurance as a Medicaid ride please see our service area map on that page of our website. However, if you plan on paying for your medical transportation out of pocket, please see the service area map on our private pay page instead. These service areas are very different due to varying laws and regulations in Colorado for these different payment methods.
Q: I have a complaint, where can I report a driver or another employee?
A: Yes. We take all complaints very seriously, especially when it comes to our clients’ safety on the road, as well as the safety of our drivers, other drivers on the road, and pedestrians. Please reach out to us directly via our contact page and include all pertinent specifics, including the vehicle number and/or license plate number if you have it available. We will escalate your complaint directly to one of our driver supervisors for immediate action, or if the complaint is about something else entirely, we will direct it to the best responsible party.
Q: Are you currently hiring drivers, CSRs, or for transport wheelchair near me?
A: We are often hiring new transport drivers and customer service representatives around the state of Colorado. To inquire, please search for us on Indeed.com. We frequently post there with new jobs as there are openings in various counties.