Colorado’s Medicaid authority terminates transportation supplier, capping week of misunderstanding

Colorado’s Medicaid authority terminated its contract with one of the vital state’s biggest transportation suppliers overdue Wednesday, capping just about every week of suspensions, proceedings and uncertainty.

Officers advised MedRide, which supplies rides to and from scientific appointments for Medicaid sufferers, that the corporate’s contract used to be being terminated as it allegedly “jeopardized (the general public’s) well being, protection and welfare.” Officers accused the corporate of failing to conform to transportation necessities — enacted partially after a sprawling fraud scheme used to be known involving transportation suppliers within the Medicaid program 18 months in the past — and of filing claims that weren’t authentic.

Amongst different problems, the state Division of Well being Care Coverage and Financing — which oversees Medicaid — wrote that MedRide had submitted claims for rides involving “unaccompanied minors, claims for mileage that didn’t fit the documented mileage and claims and not using a corresponding scientific appointment,” in addition to journeys with multiple passenger. Hundreds of alternative rides allegedly lacked right kind documentation.

“It’s completely our purpose that we’re making sure that individuals have protected get right of entry to to rides in the course of the (non-emergency transportation) program,” Adela Flores-Brennan, the state’s Medicaid director, stated in an interview Wednesday. “It’s with that during thoughts that we made this resolution.”

In a commentary, MedRide officers stated they have been interesting the termination resolution and accused the dept — referred to as HCPF — of failing to paintings with the corporate because it sought to return into compliance. The corporate supplied greater than 375,000 rides ultimate 12 months, most commonly in rural Colorado.

If the state “could be keen to take a seat down with us, we can have this all resolved inside 24 hours,” Greg Harriman, MedRide’s proprietor and president, stated. “The longer this is going on, the longer Medicaid sufferers are denied get right of entry to to psychological well being products and services and life-saving therapies.”