Launched alongside Medicaid in 1965, non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) had remained largely unchanged for almost 50 years. A Medicaid member calls in to book a trip, the trip is faxed to a transportation provider along with a group of trips, the trip is completed by the transportation provider, and the results of the trip are faxed back to the broker for reporting. Or that’s how it’s supposed to work. But unforeseen circumstances like last-minute trip changes, traffic, vehicle breakdowns or an insufficient supply of vehicles could easily derail an entire day of trips. In addition to trip delays, the self-reported data from the transportation providers rarely reflected what actually occurred during the trip. It was this fractured and unreliable process that Veyo was looking to improve when it launched in 2015.
In November of 2015, Veyo launched a new model for Medicaid transportation, adapting the innovations created in the consumer ridesharing space to the healthcare industry. Veyo’s new model took advantage of cutting-edge technology to vertically integrate every step of the NEMT process, from the call center to the claims department. Paired with a low-cost ridesharing network that was purpose-built for the healthcare industry and the unique needs of the Medicaid population, Veyo can:
- Track each trip from booking to completion with full communication and location details;
- Quickly scale supply when needed, using rideshare drivers who are fully credentialed to meet all AHCCCS requirements, including federal background checks, five-panel drug tests, CPR certification, HIPAA training, ADA education, customer service training and sensitivity training;
- Insert a layer of communication between the broker, the transportation provider and the member through driver and member apps;
- Increase transparency for the health plan/payer through real-time dashboards; and
- Flag and reduce fraud, waste and abuse.
Nearly 8,000 IDPs have taken trips in Arizona since 2015, with a current active fleet of nearly 3,000 drivers. Today, Veyo IDPs complete between 7,000 and 8,000 trips per day in the Arizona market, with an on-time rate of 95 percent and a grievance rate of just 0.02 percent — 10 times lower than the average grievance rate from a traditional provider fleet.
As the NEMT industry continues to evolve and grow, Veyo’s focus for 2019 remains on:
- Continuing to adapt performance advancements from consumer ridesharing for healthcare. GPS tracking, real-time trip statuses, and supply and demand matching have changed how the NEMT model works. That same sort of transparency, reliability, and responsiveness should be standard for every Medicaid membe
- Putting transparency at the core — of everything. Many large payers spend upwards of $20, $30, $40 and even $100 million annually on NEMT programs but have little detail about actual outcomes of services carried out and how their budgets are impacting patients. Veyo is working to ensure payers and healthcare providers have 24/7 access to real-time data and dashboards.
- Making communication between NEMT brokers and healthcare transportation providers seamless and in real-time. While ridesharing can play a greater role in providing more flexible capacity and additional economic advantages, traditional commercial transportation providers still play a vital role in NEMT — especially for patients requiring specialized care or equipment. However, it’s critical that NEMT brokers help those providers modernize and implement the use of real-time technology and GPS tracking.
Stan Sipes is executive vice president of business development at Veyo, responsible for developing and executing Veyo’s strategic growth plan, building a reputation for Veyo as a thought leader in the healthcare industry, and leading the sales and marketing teams.
Sipes is an entrepreneur and business development executive with more than 35 years of successful executive experience in consultative sales and business development management, as a CEO, an entrepreneur and in senior-level leadership. He has experience with a global Fortune 50 company; as a turnaround specialist, he founded a successful software company; and he has worked as consultant and advisor to more than 300 companies, assisting them in growth strategies.
