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New transportation service Ride To Care to provide free rides to health care appointments for Oregon Health Plan members beginning January 1

December 10, 2014

(Portland, OR) – Beginning January 1, 2015, the transportation service Ride To Care will provide free rides to covered health care appointments for Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties who have no other transportation options.

OHP members who want to schedule their rides in advance or who have already pre-scheduled trips can contact Ride To Care beginning December 10, 2014 to schedule or re-schedule their 2015 rides. Trips can be scheduled by phone or online, including up to three months in advance.

Ride To Care, a service of Access2Care, will replace the current non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) service operated by TriMet. TriMet’s NEMT service will continue to provide rides through December 31.

The only change OHP riders will see is a new phone number to call for arranging transportation services. The same local transportation organizations will continue providing the service.

Ride To Care’s phone lines are open as of December 10, 2014:

·         503-416-3955 local

·         1-855-321-4899 toll-free

·         711 for Oregon Relay Service or TTY/TDD

OHP members can call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to schedule their rides. Ride To Care regular business hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Rides to appointments and back home will be provided from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Members can also visit www.ridetocare.com and set up an account which will allow them to schedule their future trips in advance online.

Depending on medical conditions, ride options could include bus tickets, TriMet passes, taxis and wheelchair lift-equipped vans. The service also uses volunteer drivers and can reimburse members for their transport mileage.

Along with routine doctor appointments, members can schedule rides to and from OHP-covered urgent care, chemotherapy and dialysis.

About Ride To Care

Ride To Care is a joint service of FamilyCare Health Plans and Health Share of Oregon and is managed by Access2Care, LLC, one of the nation’s largest NEMT providers.

About Health Share of Oregon

Serving over 230,000 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 nearly 18,000 providers, 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 www.healthshareoregon.org.

About FamilyCare 

FamilyCare is the oldest Medicaid managed care organization in Oregon and currently serves more than 110,000 Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Marion county residents eligible for benefits through Medicaid (Oregon Health Plan) and Medicare. Founded in 1984, FamilyCare, Inc. is committed to supporting the health of Oregonians through innovative systems that increase access to care, improve quality and lower costs. At the heart of these systems is a belief that the relationship between patient and primary care providers is the foundation for creating a healthcare system that promotes caring, efficiency and community well-being. More information is available at www.familycareinc.org.

Contact Johanna Watson at 503-503-471-2145 or [email protected]

Comments

Submitted by Sarah F on Wed, 01/07/2015 - 16:22 Permalink

This service is most certainly NOT the same as med transport. First of all, the rider must be ready a full hour ahead of appt. time regardless of how short the trip is. Secondly, every single ride is shared with another person. This historically was hugely frustrating and time-consuming when it occurred with the former medical transportation. Also, we are unable to schedule return rides until our appt. is actually done, so we have to call and wait on hold again, at which point we may wait for an hour to be picked up. All of this is not only a huge inconvenience, but in some cases dangerous. Most of us using this service have health problems. I know I have run into medical trouble when having to wait well beyond the expected time. This is a shame, and I am seriously considering minimizing or canceling appts. Medical transportation was usually adequate; this seems not worth it when one is already sick, lacking mobility, etc. etc.