Non-emergency medical transport, NET, providers are expressing frustration with the Alabama Medicaid Agency following the announcement of new reimbursement rates which have made it more difficult for some providers to transport Medicaid recipients.
Previously, different transporters had negotiated different rates through Medicaid, but the agency recently established a universal flat rate for all providers which went into effect last month. According to a notice the agency sent to providers in July, the new rate for transportation services within a 25-mile radius is $35 for ambulatory patients and $70 for wheelchair patients. For transportation services beyond a 25-mile radius, those rates increase by $0.70 and $1.05, respectively, per additional mile.
APR recently spoke with several transporters from around the state who say they have long experienced difficulties transporting Medicaid recipients to doctor’s appointments, dialysis treatments, or other hospital visits due to Medicaid’s low reimbursement rates and inconsistent billing process. Multiple providers, like Baldwin County Non-Emergency Medical Transport in Daphne, Alabama, informed APR that they simply do not transport Medicaid recipients whatsoever because it is “impossible” to bill through the agency…