What is NEMT?

Medicaid NEMT or Non-Emergency Medical Transportation is a phrase typically used to describe a transportation benefit for Medicaid or Medicare members that ensures eligible patients can get to and from their medical appointments, the pharmacy, urgent care, or the hospital. Trips are non-emergency in nature, meaning there is no immediate threat to the health or life of the participant, and no elements of life support are required in the vehicle during the trip. Patients may require NEMT for a variety of reasons, including: lack of a valid driver’s license, lack of a working vehicle, geographic isolation, or the inability to take traditional transportation for physical, mental, or developmental reasons. Non-Emergency Medical Transportation exists to ensure that participants have access to routine and preventative care, increasing overall health outcomes and avoiding costly ambulance bills or emergency room visits. NEMT is especially important for those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, COPD, or asthma.

Who pays for NEMT?

Medicaid NEMT is a $5 billion industry, funded by state and taxpayer dollars, and overseen by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Over the past several years, Medicaid spend for NEMT equates to approximately 1% of total Medicaid expenditures, but can impact overall healthcare costs in significant ways. A study by Florida State University found that if just 1% of trips funded result in the avoidance of a hospital stay, the payback to the state is $11.08 for each $1 invested in NEMT. With more than 3.6 million Americans missing or delaying care each year due to transportation issues, the need for effective NEMT is growing each year.

What does NEMT actually look like?

NEMT includes a variety of transportation modes, including sedan, wheelchair van, taxis, stretcher cars, and mileage reimbursement. It also may include reimbursement for public transportation or long-distance accommodations such as air travel if a member requires long-distance or out-of-state treatment. NEMT covers all regions from urban to rural, and transportation is always the least costly and most appropriate mode, which is determined on a case-by-case basis for each participant.

What is an NEMT broker?

An NEMT broker works to match participants with transportation providers in the most efficient and cost-effective way. Transportation brokers manage a variety of NEMT tasks including member eligibility, provider network management, provider credentialing, trip approval/management/dispatch, and reporting. States using the brokerage model use a competitive bidding process to select a broker based on experience, performance, cost, and a variety of other factors.

Who is Veyo?

Veyo is a complete transportation broker, offering a next-generation solution to the logistical challenges of NEMT. We’ve revolutionized NEMT with a technology-first approach that brings the breakthroughs of consumer transportation to the medical industry. Real-time dashboards, supply and demand analytics, and member and provider apps remove the need for traditional dispatch methods and manual trip reporting. Instead of the traditional fixed fleets that have a difficult time scaling when demand is high (and leave providers with a surplus of vehicles on the road when demand is low) Veyo’s Virtual Fleets are flexible, allowing capacity to be rapidly scaled up and down in minutes to meet demand changes. Our dynamic supply system constantly manages and optimizes the right supply levels for different modes across geographies (both urban and rural), ensuring that every member gets picked up on time. Learn more about how Veyo is changing the industry here.