How to Bill Medicaid for Transportation Services

Medicaid provides assistance for paying for medically necessary transportation, although reimbursement amounts may be limited. In this article, we will tell you what you need to know about securing reimbursement from Medicaid for medical transportation in western Washington.

Everyone on Medicaid in Washington State is eligible for transportation assistance, and the benefit is automatic. If you are already on Medicaid, there are no additional papers for you to sign and there is no waiting period. Around the Sound will take care of the paperwork that gets them paid for your trip. But there are things you need to do well before the day of your medical appointment.

What You Need to Understand About Medicaid Transportation

Medicaid doesn’t cover every conceivable transportation need. It won’t pay for a trip to get groceries (although there may be other organizations that do), taking a pet to the vet, or going out to visit with friends. Medicaid only pays for medically necessary transportation. In Washington State, medically necessary transportation includes:

• Trips to a medical office so you can be seen by an MD, and osteopath, a psychotherapist, a chiropractor, or an occupational therapist for a Medicaid-covered visit.
• Trips to urgent care.
• Trips to pick up medication at a pharmacy. Medicaid realizes that sometimes you have to be physically present to sign for certain medications.

Transportation reimbursed by Medicaid can also cover the cost of transporting someone to be with you, such as a spouse, family member, attendant, or nurse. If you aren’t on Medicaid yet, you have to pay for your own transportation—but save your receipts. In some cases, Medicaid will go back six months to pay you for transportation you received while you were waiting to be approved for the program.

It is always necessary for your transportation provider to know where you are going and when you are supposed to be there. Around the Sound will call ahead to make sure we can get you where you need to be on time, allowing for traffic and weather, so you have a calm and comfortable trip.

Accessible Transportation Services at ATS

Medicaid transportation isn’t like taking Uber or Lyft. You don’t have to get yourself in and out of a four-door vehicle at the curb and get yourself to the door. Medicaid transportation is assistive transportation.

Accessible transportation by Around the Sound can accommodate the kind of seating, or lying down arrangement that you need for comfort. If you use a wheelchair, we can place your wheelchair inside a van securely, with additional seating for anyone making the trip with you. We can accommodate gurneys, so you can make the trip securely and safely lying down if need be. 

Around the Sound drivers have years of experience in dealing with all kinds of health issues. They are in constant communication with our dispatch office, and they can get emergency help if needed. They know all the roads and will get you to your appointment and back home again at any scheduled time of day or night.

Contact Around the Sound Today

Around the Sound is Western Washington’s leading provider of local and regional transportation for people who have special transportation needs. Call us at (253) 858-7088 to discuss your options or Reserve a Ride Now! 

Categorised in: blog, Medical Transportation Service

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