MLTC Transportation Carve-Out Starts Fri., March 1st
The State’s carve-out of Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) from the Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) benefit package is slated for this Fri., March 1st. On this date, the majority of trips will be managed by Medical Answering Service (MAS), the new statewide broker. LeadingAge NY has met with MAS and the Department of Health (DOH) to clarify details regarding the transition and urge clear communication by the State and MAS to MLTC plans, long term care providers, and MLTC beneficiaries.
As reported earlier, social adult day care (SADC) programs that currently handle their own transportation, either with their own vehicles or by contracting directly with a transportation provider, will continue providing their own transportation after the carve-out (March 1, 2024). These SADC programs should continue to bill their plan as they have been. SADC program transportation that is currently provided by the plan or by the plan broker will be transitioned to MAS effective March 1, 2024. As such, it is important for plans to include and identify these SADC trips in their data that is being sent to MAS to ensure continuity of this transportation. MAS will train the appropriate plan contacts on entering these SADC trips into their system as standing orders.
DOH only recently communicated with adult day health care (ADHC) programs on the transition. The Adult Day Health Care Council (ADHCC) has asked for guidance for Method 1 ADHC programs and how MLTC registrant transportation will transition to fee-for-service (FFS). Method 1 ADHC programs arrange their own registrant transportation, but still contract with MLTCs to provide or pay for this service. No formal communications on this change have been issued to date. After discussions last week, the Department is considering extending the transition date to allow time for Method 1 ADHC programs to put proper billing procedures and contracts in place to move their MLTC trips to FFS. Method 1 ADHC programs are still waiting for updates on this development.
Method 2 ADHC programs, which already utilize MAS as their transportation broker, will be subject to the March 1st transition date for their MLTC registrants and should ensure that their standing orders are in place in the MAS portal on March 1st.
Nursing homes with MLTC registrants should also be aware of this change if their residents require NEMT to doctor appointments, treatments, or health care services in the community.
Long term care providers should note that the Dec. 1st transition from Modivcare to MAS on Long Island was not without hiccups. Providers should be in touch with their current vendors to confirm trips during the first days of the transition and be in touch with MAS if their registrant trips are not visible or editable in the MAS portal.
Providers should note that the transition communications to MLTC beneficiaries regarding the transportation carve-out indicate that MLTC members will be responsible for their own transportation and should be reaching out to MAS directly to schedule transportation to appointments. Standing orders will be arranged by providers, not members. LeadingAge NY would appreciate input and feedback on this new dynamic and if MLTC members are having difficulty accessing transportation in the community.
For providers, please note the following MAS instructions on the transition:
Consistent with the Medicaid Redesign Team 2 (MRT2) initiatives, the New York State Department of Health (the Department) transitioned its contract with Medical Answering Services LLC (MAS) to become our statewide transportation broker. Also consistent with the goals of MRT2, the Department will begin carving out transportation from the Managed Long-Term Care (MLTC) plan benefit package to fee-for-service (FFS) effective March 1, 2024. The transition will include all MLTC plans currently managed by ModivCare, Sentry, CenTrek, and those plans that are self-managed.
Our goal is to minimize the change for MLTC members and allow for a smooth transition to MAS. In the upcoming days, you will start to see standing orders, for MLTC members, for dates of service March 1st and beyond in the MAS system for MLTC members. We need your assistance in reviewing these orders for accuracy.
What steps do you need to take?
1. Log into the MAS portal and view “Bulk Standing Orders”
2. MLTC trips will be entered for dates of service March 1st and beyond
3. Review the trips for accuracy
4. Select “Extend” next to the standing order for the MLTC member
5. If a NYS Form-2015 or NYS Form-2020 is required, the system will prompt you to enter the form during the trip creation process
6. Assure the MLTC members under your care their order is entered and they will receive their transportation
If you have any questions on this matter, please feel free to contact the Medical Provider Relations Department via email at MPRelations@medanswering.com, or you can view your regional contact at MP Relations Department: https://www.medanswering.com/medical-provider-relations-team/.
Additional Resources:
· Medical Providers | MAS Education & Resources (medanswering.com)
· Log in to your MAS Portal Account: https://www.medanswering.com/login.taf
MAS System Access: Medical facility staff can request access to the MAS system here.
Saleha Shaikh <sshaikh@medanswering.com>; LI director
Inna Balter <ibalter@medanswering.com>; Brooklyn
Christian Torres <christiantorres@medanswering.com>; Bronx and Putnam
Alissia Sahoye <asahoye@medanswering.com>;
Deneilla Webb <dwebb@medanswering.com>;
Nakisha Toussaint <ntoussaint@medanswering.com>
Isa Abdul 646 628 0549 | iabdul@medanswering.com; Queens and Long Island
Ron Wood – rwood@medanswering.com – North of Putnam and Upstate
Ben Kandel – bkandel@medanswering.com – CNY and Western NY
NYSDOH at medtrans@health.ny.gov
Dave Spagnolo, MAS Director MLTC Relations, dspagnolo@medanswering.com, 716-946-3427.
An updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on the transition for MLTCs, issued by MAS this week, is available here. LeadingAge NY will provide members with other updates on the transition as they are issued.
Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871