Complaint Review: Medical Transportation Management - Lake St Louis Missouri

!!!!!WARNING!!!! TO ANY STATE OR COMPANY THINKING OF CONTRACTING WITH MTM (Medical Transportation Management) STAY AWAY!

MTM took over the Mississippi State Medicaid contract on July 1, 2014. Mississippi's transportation program had been operating at a level 10, prior to MTM, on a scale of 1-10. It only took 1 month for MTM to destroy the process.

Beneficiary's complain that they can't get their ride set up. MTM tells them "they live too close", "they live too far", "they don't have them in the system". A lot of them tell us the call centers are rude and hang up on them. There are elderly and retired military having to walk to their appointments in the heat because MTM has yet to set up transportation for them. They are poor at working with providers as well. You spend time calling and emailing your network rep which you can never reach and if you do you just get the run around.

Since the takeover, multiple providers have been put out of business. MTM's process is to dilute the areas and trips so much with multiple providers that it's hard for any provider to be cost-effective and survive. They low-ball rates that don't even cover the cost of the trip. Aside from low rates to begin with, MTM breaches its contracts on a daily basis. They make wheelchair users "transfer" by getting out of their wheelchairs so they can pay providers at an ambulatory rate. This is unsafe for the beneficiaries as well as increased liability for the providers. Even if the notes clearly state a beneficiary cannot transfer they still will refuse to pay for paralift services. The State offers these services for the riders, but MTM chooses to pocket the money instead of providing them. If you speak out, they bring in providers from other areas and cut your trip volume, with the obvious intention of trying to put you out of business. They have definitely increased our states unemployment as not one provider is running at near the capacity as prior to MTM, which in turn means people aren't getting their needed rides to medical appointments.

MTM notoriously cancels transports in their system to the provider the day before the appointment. Then when the rider calls about their ride on appointment day, MTM blames the provider as a no-show, when it's MTMs doing. They will also cancel trips the day before and try to add them on the "day of/an hour before appointment" which is always almost impossible to complete. Again, their process is to put money in the owners pocket, not to provide transportation services.

MTM is given a monthly payment from the State to pay providers and support the NET program. Supporting the program? Like having a call center in Mississippi that just handles MS transportation? No they do not have one. They route all calls through other states and call centers that don't have a clue about MS or where anything is located. Sometimes we get reps that barely speak english. There is a Jackson office but it does not handle the calls. Should they be paying to have vehicle inspectors? They have 1 for the entire state. Appears the money to run the MS NET program is being spent in other states.

If you do your research, you will see that the SAME complaints come from providers and Medicaid recipients in every state MTM operates in. If you are a state looking for a new broker, please take the time to call states already under contract and ask how smooth the program is running. Think before you get paid off. It will only hurt your State, its' providers, and the State's beneficiaries in the long run.

Much thanks to Logisticare, you were an amazing broker and Mississippi desperately needs you back!