June 11, 2004

     Tallahassee, FL - Alan Levine, Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration, announced today the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged will manage the Medicaid non-emergency transportation services statewide. The one-year contract provides Medicaid beneficiaries with a variety of transportation services, implements fraud control measures never before utilized by Florida Medicaid, and will realize significant cost savings mandated by the Florida Legislature. The Commission will coordinate Medicaid non-emergency transportation services with oversight from the Agency to ensure quality of services provided.

     "The Agency for Health Care Administration's primary goal is to provide quality services in the most cost-effective manner for the 2.2 million Medicaid beneficiaries we serve," said Levine. "We are also committed to meeting the Legislature's expectation of improving efficiencies and being innovative. The Commission was chosen because they already have well-established relationships with transportation providers and they have the experience of dealing with the various coordinated transportation systems statewide."

     The Commission is statutorily responsible for coordinating transportation services to the disadvantaged statewide, coordinating local, state and federal funds for the transportation disadvantaged, assuring state agencies purchase through the coordinated system unless they demonstrate they can purchase services more cost effectively from another vendor, approving the appointment of Community Transportation Coordinators, and preparing the state's five-year transportation disadvantaged plan.

     In the 2003 legislative session, the Agency was directed to find $11 million in savings from the transportation budget. "This change is an example where reform is already taking place within the Medicaid program with the goal of providing quality services while achieving cost predictability," added Levine. "The Agency took a methodical and thoughtful approach to implementation and, as a result, has a contract that will be in the best interest of the state and the Medicaid enrollees who use non-emergency transportation services."

      "The Commission welcomes the opportunity to further increase efficiencies in the statewide coordinated system," stated Commission Chairperson, Peter Gianino. "This is groundbreaking territory and with the anticipated success, Florida will continue to serve as a national model for such innovations."

      Highlights of the contract include:

• Standards for vehicle quality.
• First of its kind comprehensive compliance programs, including mandated reporting requirements to eliminate fraud in the transportation system. Will require ongoing review for billing of services that did not occur, upcoding, failure to keep records for audit purposes for five (5) years, false credentials, misstatement of medical conditions to justify referrals and failure to provide services that are medically necessary.
• Encouraging the use of minority and women-owned transportation providers and requiring documentation of efforts.
• Creation of a full time ombudsman position to help beneficiaries who have questions or complaints.
• Mandated maintenance of vehicle logs, encounter data and other information for audit purposes.
• Requires escorts for beneficiaries who are blind, deaf, mentally disabled or under 21 years of age.
• Mandatory oral interpretation services for all non-English languages.
• Mandates 95 percent of all dollars be used for direct beneficiary services, with 5 percent allowed for administrative costs.
• Mandatory monthly, quarterly and annual reports to include promotional activity, complaints, corrective actions, quality control measures and performance.

     Working to improve access to affordable, quality health care to all Floridians, the state Agency for Health Care Administration administers Florida's $14 billion Medicaid program, licenses and regulates more than 25,000 health care facilities and 25 health maintenance organizations, and publishes health care data and statistics.

Please address comments to Christine Osterlund (850-922-5871) or email osterluc@ahca.myflorida.com