The two coordinated care organizations in the Portland Tri-County area issued a joint request for proposals today to select a Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) broker to service Oregon Health Plan members in the region.
NEMT assists clients going to and from routine or scheduled Oregon Health Plan medical services. It does not include emergency ambulance transportation to a hospital. Typically, transportation options are provided through a variety of methods, including wheelchair vans, taxis, stretcher vans or cars, bus passes and tickets, secured transportation, grouped or shared-ride vehicles and volunteer-owned and operated vehicles.
“NEMT is one of the benefits most utilized by our members,” said Jeff Heatherington, President and CEO of FamilyCare, Inc. “It is integral to managing medical expenses for many of our members. We serve populations that are especially vulnerable, due to disabilities, behavioral health issues and other special needs.” Transportation needs are considered a social determinant, along with food, housing and employment, which can affect health outcomes.
“Our primary objective is to ensure continuity of service for our members, but also be able to explore the opportunity to expand services for our members. We are excited to work with FamilyCare to create a regional system for serving the OHP population” said Janet L. Meyer, CEO of Health Share of Oregon.
Historically, the Oregon Health Authority has held the contract and has previously contracted with Tri-Met as the transportation broker in the Portland Tri-county region. Tri-Met, in turn, sub-contracts with various vendors to provide the actual transportation services to the members.
“We anticipate that Tri-Met will reply to the RFP with a proposal that meets their business needs and provides the kind of community partnership and service to our members we are seeking. But, because the contract involves public dollars, both CCOs feel the need for full due diligence and agreed to issue a joint request for proposals from any interested brokers,” said Paul Bollinger, Health Share Senior Project Manager and lead for the NEMT RFP process.
“Our goal is to establish and invest in a community partnership that is committed to facilitating services for our clients,” Bollinger added. “We are looking for creative options with the right organization with a business mission that includes services to our population.”
The CCOs are particularly interested in proposals that address crucial performance factors, including reducing wait times, increasing the availability of same day transportation requests and generally enhancing the transportation experience for CCO members.
Because of the diversity and the vulnerability of the populations the CCOs serve, the brokerage chosen for the contract must also maintain a culturally aware and sensitive working environment.
Historically on average there are more than 800,000 rides per year requested by the OHP member population. The brokerage of these services must have the ability to service a medically and culturally diverse community within a large and varied geographical region covering more than 3,000 square miles.
The resulting contract is estimated to be valued at approximately $30 million per year. A contract will be awarded by Summer 2014 and will begin implementation on January 1, 2015. Although the terms of the operational contracts will be comparable, the brokerage selected will contract separately with each of the two CCOs.
If you are interested in submitting a proposal and have further questions, please contact [email protected].
About Health Share of Oregon
Serving over 215,000 members in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties, Health Share of Oregon is Oregon’s largest coordinate care organization. Health Share is a unique community-wide partnership created to ensure quality, cost-effective physical, dental and mental health care for Oregon Health Plan members. With a network of 16 physical, mental and dental health plans and over 18,000 providers, including over 900 dentists, Health Share provides an integrated community delivery system with the objective of achieving better care, better health and lower costs for the Medicaid population and for the region.
Health Share is a collaborative of 11 founding partners: Adventist Health, CareOregon, Central City Concern, Clackamas County, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health, Multnomah County, Oregon Health & Science University, Providence Health & Services, Tuality Health Alliance and Washington County. More information is available at healthshareoregon.org.
About FamilyCare
FamilyCare, Inc. is a Medicare and Medicaid managed care organization that has been providing patient-centered healthcare to Oregonians for nearly 30 years. FamilyCare was the first health plan in Oregon to integrate models of physical, mental health, vision and recently added dental care. - See more at familycareinc.org/index.php/main/in-the-news/#sthash.ECXRltWm.dpuf
