The New England-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Ride Health have announced a collaboration to offer non-emergency medical transportation at no cost for Medicare Advantage members in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Ride Health partners with healthcare organizations and transportation providers to strengthen enterprise transportation programs and drive intelligent transitions of care. Harvard Pilgrim and its family of companies provide health benefit plans, programs and services to more than 3 million customers in New England and beyond
Officials note that an estimated 3.6 million Americans miss or delay medical care each year because of transportation issues, according to an analysis by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Especially vulnerable are the elderly, who may no longer be able to drive independently but have few family members or friends available to help.
This new program will enable Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Medicare Advantage members who face transportation barriers to more easily arrange rides to and from doctor's offices, clinics and other health-related locations beginning Jan.1, 2020. Members can access 12 to 24 rides each year, depending on their location, at no cost thanks to a recent expansion of Medicare's coverage for non-emergency medical transportation, according to officials.
Rides will be managed by Ride Health's end-to-end transportation solution, which aims to support health systems and health plans in 30 states through a network of local transportation providers. Harvard Pilgrim members will receive a variety of benefits under the program, including:
- Telephone access to Ride Health's support team to confirm benefit eligibility and schedule rides
- A member portal available on desktop or mobile to schedule rides, check ride status, review and edit upcoming rides and view remaining rides
- Real-time ride monitoring by Ride Health's support team, with the ability to intervene in response to potential ride disruptions
"We believe this innovative transportation program will help to improve health outcomes for our Medicare Advantage members by reducing transportation barriers that impact their ability to access quality health care," Bill Graham, senior vice president, Medicare Business for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, said in a statement. "Our collaboration with Ride Health leverages the flexibility provided by Medicare to make new benefits like this a reality for these members."
