Medical Assistance Transportation

• Medical Assistance Transportation is a safety net program only for eligible recipients who have no other means of transportation available and is only provided to Medicaid covered, medically necessary services by the least expensive method suitable to the recipient’s needs.
• Screening to determine if other transportation resources are available will be performed by Baltimore County staff initially quarterly, thereafter, or when a recipient’s circumstances change.
• Medical certification from a recipient’s physician is required at least annually.
• Once enrolled, requests for trip assistance must be pre-scheduled. Trips may be booked up to seven days in advance and must be requested 24 hours prior to the medical appointment or service. Same day transportation is not provided.
• Recipients must be waiting to be picked up at the designated time and place. If a recipient is not present at the designated time and place to be picked up, that trip may be counted as a “no show.”
• If you know that you cannot keep an appointment, or will not require a return transport, you must call your transportation vendor at the phone number provided to you or the Health Department at 410-887-2828 and cancel the ride 30 minutes before your scheduled time.
• Failure to comply with these requirements may result in requiring you to confirm all future appointments in advance or other sanctions may be imposed.
• During periods of inclement weather, transportation services may be curtailed or cancelled. The safety of recipients and drivers is a priority. Recipients should call the County or their transportation vendor on the day of inclement weather to check the status of operations.
• Conduct which jeopardizes the safety of other passengers or the driver will not be tolerated and could result in transportation services being suspended.
• Recipients have the right to a written notice if a request for transportation is denied, and recipients have the right to have a local hearing to appeal the decision.

The Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services.

• Statewide Medical Assistance Provider Certification Instructions and Form for Ambulatory, Wheelchair, and Ambulance Transports
• Statewide Medical Assistance Provider Certification Instructions and Form for Distant Transports
• Statewide Medical Assistance Provider Transfer and Discharge Form

The following requirements determine eligibility:

• You must be a Baltimore County resident with eligible Medical Assistance.
• You must have absolutely no other way to get to and from your medical appointment.
• You must have your medical provider complete and sign a Baltimore County Certificate for Medical Transportation form and submit it to the Baltimore County Department of Health or Hart to Heart as may be appropriate.
  • All sections of this form must be filled out completely, and include all medical information.
  • Your diagnosis must support the medical necessity of your mode of transport.

Regular transportation services operate Monday through Saturday, and begin as early as 5 a.m. and end as late as 8 p.m.

Medical facility discharges and transfers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Many wheelchair and stretcher clients need to have someone accompany them to their medical appointments while others are able to travel on their own. When arranging your rides, please advise Health Department staff if you will be having someone travel with you due to your medical condition. Please note that many physicians’ offices will not see patients unless an escort comes along. Should that be the case, it is your responsibility to arrange to have someone travel with you as we cannot provide escorts. This is particularly true of stretcher clients going to a doctor’s office.

A no-show occurs when a client either is not at the arranged pickup point at the appointed time or refuses the ride at the time the transport arrives and has not canceled the trip in advance. This is true for both inbound and return trips. Drivers will wait no more than 15 minutes for the recipient to ready themselves before leaving and reporting the no-show to the County. Driver lateness is not considered a no-show for the purpose of this policy.

Transportation may be canceled up to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled ready time without penalty (i.e. incomplete call, no-show, cancel-at-door) by calling the County (during business hours noted above) or the contracted vendor, Hart to Heart at 443-573-2037.

MULTIPLE NO-SHOWS

Recipients who have received multiple no-shows will:

• Initially, receive a warning and advised that additional no-shows may result in the recipient having to call the County the day before any future appointment to schedule a transport.
• Generate an Advance Confirmation Notice that will require the recipient to call the day before the appointment to schedule their ride. This shall include recipients who have standing orders for repeat appointments.

As this is a shared ride program (except for stretcher transports), proper decorum and respect for fellow passengers etc. is expected from riders at all times.

Passengers are reminded that in these vehicles, there is no eating, drinking or smoking.

WHEELCHAIR OR AMBULANCE RIDES

Call the County at 410-887-2828 to schedule all transports to medical appointments. Phone lines are open Monday through Friday (except County holidays), from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., to schedule rides. Rides must be called in one to seven days in advance during the hours listed. Same-day rides are not offered except under extreme circumstances.

The following information must be provided at the time transportation is arranged:

• Caller’s name and direct phone number
• Recipient’s personal information including: name, social security number, date of birth, Medical Assistance Number and Medicare number (if applicable)
• Pick up address, name of facility with room and bed number (if applicable) as well as phone number
• Destination address and ZIP code along with the building name, room and suite number, and phone number directly to the room or suite (not a facility main phone number of scheduling number).
• Attending physician’s name and the reason for the transport (must be specific)
• Type of transportation requested, wheelchair or stretcher (please refer to eligibility requirements)
• Date and time of appointment
• Other pertinent ride information including client oxygen usage, steps at the pick up location (if applicable) and patient weight
• Requests for stretcher transportation to a doctor’s office must be verified for accommodation prior to scheduling a ride. Specific details are provided when calling the County to place the transport.

Clients should be ready for their ride one hour prior to their appointment time. Baltimore County Health Department staff will give you your “ready time” when you schedule your ride.

MEDICAL FACILITY DISCHARGES AND TRANSFERS

Medical facility discharges and transfers are set up on the day the medical facility discharge or transfer is to occur. Call Hart to Heart directly at 443-573-2037 to arrange the transport.

The following guidelines are used to determine eligibility.

• You must be a Baltimore County resident with active and eligible Medical Assistance.
• Clients using Mobility may not use Medical Assistance Transportation except under extreme circumstances.
• You must have absolutely no other way to get to and from your medical appointment.
• You must have your physician complete and sign a Baltimore County Transportation Medical Certification Form for you and submit it to the Baltimore County Health Department.
  • The form must be filled out completely and include all your medical information.
  • Your doctor must certify that you are unable to use public or ADA transportation.
  • If the form is incomplete or your doctor does not certify that you cannot use public or ADA transportation, you may not use MA Transportation service.
• Once approved by the Baltimore County Health Department, call TransDev directly to schedule your rides.

Regular transportation service operates Monday through Saturday and begins as early at 5 a.m. and ends as late as 7:30 p.m. The latest doctor appointment that can be accepted is 6 p.m. with a return pick-up time of 7 p.m. All riders are returned home by 7:30 p.m., barring problems with traffic etc.

READY TIME

You must be ready and waiting for your vehicle 90 minutes before your appointment time. You will be given your ready time when you schedule your ride. Vehicles have up to one hour after your ready time to pick you up and an additional 30 minutes to drive you to your designated drop-off location.

Drivers will come to your door to get you. You will then have five minutes to enter the vehicle. If you do not enter the vehicle within five minutes, the driver must leave and you will be considered a No-Show. A No-Show slip will be left at your address if no one answers.

RETURN TIME

After your appointment, you must be ready and waiting at your designated pick-up location at the return time arranged with TransDev. 

• Drivers will enter the lobby of the building that you are to be picked up from and will call your first name and last initial. If you do not come forward, the driver must leave and you will be considered a No-Show. Drivers do not come to the doctor’s office to get you; you must go to the lobby or be waiting outside the designated pick-up address for your ride.
• Vehicles have up to 45 minutes after your prescheduled return time to pick you up from your destination. If the vehicle does not arrive 45 minutes after your scheduled return time, you may call TransDev at 410-783-2465 to check on the status of your ride.

In order to have someone accompany you to your appointment (an escort), it must be approved in advance by the Health Department and certified by your physician on your Baltimore County Transportation Medical Certification Form. Drivers are directed to refuse all unauthorized passengers in the vehicle. 

• Residents of a Skilled Nursing Facility (nursing home) must be accompanied during transport to ensure the safety and well-being of the recipient. There are no exceptions.
• For children, an adult must accompany all children 17 years of age and under. There are no exceptions.
• Absolutely no other riders are permitted in the vehicle for any reason.
  • Adults going to a medical appointment may not bring children along unless the child also has an appointment at the same location on the same date.
  • Lack of available childcare resources will not be taken into consideration as this is in violation of state regulations.

CANCELLATIONS

To cancel a ride, call TransDev at 410-783-2465 at least 30 minutes before your scheduled ready time. Late cancellations are considered no-shows. Excessive no-shows may result in suspension from the program.

MULTIPLE NO-SHOWS

Recipients who have received multiple no-shows will:

• Receive a initial warning and be advised that additional no-shows may result in the recipient having to call the County the day before any future appointment to schedule transportation.
• Be placed on Advance Confirmation Notice status, requiring them to call the day before the appointment to schedule their ride. This includes recipients who have standing orders for repeat appointments.

REINSTATEMENTS

If you have received a no-show, you will be advised by TransDev to call the Baltimore County Health Department to be reinstated for your ride. You must speak to a staff member of the Health Department to explain the reason for your no-show and to obtain permission to seek another ride. Clients who have excessive no-shows face possible suspension from the program.

Baltimore County Health Department staff monitors no-shows.

Additional rules and regulations to be observed:

• Children must be in car seats provided by their parent or guardian. 
• As this is a shared-ride program, proper decorum and respect for fellow passengers is expected from clients at all times. 
• Clients are reminded that there is no eating, drinking or smoking in the vehicle.
• Clients may not dictate the route drivers take to transport them to or from an appointment. Since this is a shared-ride program, specialized transportation software generates the most efficient and cost-effective route for multiple passengers that may not be apparent to each passenger.

Call TransDev at 410-783-2465 to:

• Check on same-day rides and cancel scheduled transportation. Call Monday through Friday from 7 to 9 a.m.
• Request information about transportation matters. Call Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Request a ride one to seven days in advance. Call Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Same-day rides are not offered except under extreme circumstances. Subscriptions, which are repetitive trips (such as dialysis) that take place the same day and time multiple times per week for an entire month, must be renewed the third week of each month. They will not automatically be renewed by intake and scheduling staff.