Transportation Brokerage Management
Southeastrans specializes in providing transportation brokerage management, which has become the most effective method available for managing government sponsored, non-emergent transportation (NET) programs. We have taken this proven concept and made even more dramatic improvements in service delivery through strict attention to detail, quality, and service. Southeastrans has consistently attained record levels of customer satisfaction while reducing overall program costs to the contracting state agency.
As a transportation broker, Southeastrans does not directly provide transportation services. Instead, we manage a comprehensive transportation program through subcontracted agreements with private transportation providers. Southeastrans provides the following components to assure high service quality at a reasonable cost:
- • Operate a centralized call center to receive and process transportation requests utilizing specialized software to schedule and route trips.
- • Negotiate and contract with private transportation providers to establish a comprehensive transportation network that offers a range of transportation options.
- • Act as the gatekeeper of transportation services through systematic screening protocols, assuring proper eligibility and medical necessity.
- • Appropriately match consumer needs to the least costly, but most appropriate transportation resource, including utilization of public transit agencies.
- • Monitor and enforce industry-specific quality and performance standards.
- • Verify and administer payments to private transportation providers.
- • Monitor overall system performance to assure consistent quality and timely access to health care.
- • Perform data capture to track costs and utilization, and report results to the contracting agency.
- • Maintain quality control and complaint resolution systems.
The transportation brokerage concept has been recognized by several public agencies and associations as a successful and innovative approach for managing publicly-funded, human service transportation programs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG), the federal agency charged with oversight of state Medicaid expenditures recommended that states consider using transportation brokers as an effective means of controlling Medicaid non-emergency transportation costs. This recommendation came from an OIG study (OEI-04-95-00140) prompted by significant increases in non-emergency Medicaid transportation cost during the 1990’s. Their study concluded that, in addition to controlling costs, transportation brokerage firms have been effective in reducing fraud and abuse by providers and recipients, and in increasing utilization of low cost modes of transportation such as publicly-funded transit systems.
The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) recognized transportation brokers as “the most successful approach to managing Medicaid transportation” in its 2001 publication entitled, “Medicaid Transportation: Assuring Access to Health Care”. This study concluded that brokers provide a high level of expertise in the medical transportation field, utilize state-of-the art telecommunications and software technologies, and employ innovative cost and utilization monitoring techniques.
A recent national survey conducted on behalf of the National Consortium on the Coordination of Human Services Transportation reported that twenty-one states utilized transportation brokers in some capacity to manage Medicaid non-emergency transportation. Many more states are looking into transportation brokerages as a means of controlling human service transportation costs.
Southeastrans is constantly developing innovative practices to further reduce non-emergent, transportation program costs, while improving service quality and consumer satisfaction. We partner with our sub-contract providers to offer a combination of high-tech solutions and old-fashioned personal service that is unmatched in the industry.Southeastrans is taking the transportation brokerage concept to new levels of success. We invite you to contact us or to come and visit our corporate office to personally see our success in action.