Transportation is often the missing piece
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Karli Byrd, corporate relations manager at ConnextCare in Pulaski, shared how the countywide organization helps patients who need assistance get into their primary care offices.
Q: What does your organization offer?
A: At ConnextCare, we complete the required documentation for transportation and help assist our patients with scheduling their rides.
Q: How does it differ from public transportation?
A: Our company does not have its own transportation system. We work with Medicaid transport, OCO Call a bus, Rides to Recovery and Catholic Charities Mental Health transportation. A majority of our patients that require transportation have severe medical, behavioral health, cognitive or substance use diagnoses which makes it difficult or even unsafe for them to utilize public transportation. The local programs offer the option of using a taxi or private volunteer vehicle, which makes transportation much easier for our patients and avoids any stigmatization associated with public bus transport.
Q: Why is medical transportation necessary?
A: The poverty level, educational limitations and substance use in our county create additional barriers to accessing healthcare, that can be overcome with coordinated medical transportation. Providing transportation is crucial to helping to provide proper continuity of care, keeping chronic health conditions from increasing in severity and allows patients to be active participants in their own care.
Q: Overall, how does providing medical transportation affect access to healthcare in Oswego County?
A: You don’t realize how much transportation affects healthcare until you look at the no-show rate in provider offices, where many missed appointments can be attributed to transportation issues. Patients are being denied healthcare treatment because their transportation provider never picked them up, which is causing new worsening conditions. Many of our requests for out-of-county transports are denied by Medicaid as they feel there are closer, local options for patients to choose. In many cases, providers are referring out of county because the patient has a past history with that particular specialist or they can get them in sooner for a critical appointment. Denying these types of requests significantly affects access to healthcare.
The need for transportation services in this county is even bigger than what is currently offered. It was heartbreaking to receive the notification that the Rides to Recovery program is slated to close in December. This program covers an entire demographic that currently does not have access to or qualify for other transportation options. This is going to greatly impact the lives of those patients who currently rely on this service for not only medical needs, but for their social needs, grocery needs and access to the other necessities a lot of take for granted. Medicaid transportation, when the patient is able to get a provider to accept complete the pick-up, is a good resource for getting them to and from their medical appointments. The challenge with Medicaid transportation is that it does not cover pharmacy trips, groceries, laundromats, etcetera. This causes barriers for these individuals. We really need programs that can fulfill all of the transportation needs and that everyone can qualify for.
Transportation these days is really a struggle, even to get out-of-county forms approved for services patients cannot get locally. I have so many denied out-of-county forms because Medicare appeals system does not feel it is fit for them to travel further to get the care they need, and instead dictate who and where they can go. Patients who have been seen by these specialists for years are being denied transportation to continue their care because Medicare appeals system does not see why they cannot be seen locally. The bottom line is if a patient needs transportation to a medical facility, regardless of if it is for an acute issue or a chronic issue there should be no question as to why they are going there versus somewhere Medicare appeals system is suggesting. Prior to completing these forms, we look and take into consideration where the patient lives, who they need to see, why they are going there and what the medical reason is for. It is Medicaid transportation for a reason, no one should be denied where they want to go for their medical care.
