Medical transport coordinator grows its N. Nevada network

Significant increases in state and national Medicaid enrollment are driving growth in support industries.

LogistiCare, the nation’s largest manager of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) programs for state governments and managed care organizations, is expanding its presence in Nevada to meet the transportation needs.

LogistiCare has a 13-year partnership with the Nevada Division of Health Care Financing and Policy.

“Nevada is another example of building on a long-term relationship with high client satisfaction,” said Christine Szymarek, general manager of LogistiCare Nevada. “We have a proven record of providing more members with access to healthcare while saving significant taxpayer dollars.”

Demand for healthcare transportation in the 16 northern Nevada counties — including long-distance rides to Medicaid patients in rural areas — is a significant part of what’s driving LogistiCare’s expansion in operations, Szymarek said.

In the last 12 months, members in northern Nevada counties accounted for more than 130,000 NEMT trips and trip volume has more than doubled.

Statewide, the company oversees services for twice as many eligible Medicaid recipients as it served two years ago, now managing 884,000 reservations annually.

LogistiCare contracts four transportation providers to specifically serve northern Nevada members, including SchouVan North and Paul’s Medical Transport, whose business is exclusively for LogistiCare. The company will add another provider by the end of the year to serve growing ridership in Carson City.

To handle the increase in volume, earlier this year LogistiCare relocated its Nevada offices to a 38,000-square-foot space in Las Vegas and beefing up its staff to 109 positions, at a 32.7 percent average monthly employee growth rate. Staff increases included customer service representatives as well as middle and upper management.

More additions to the staff are expected in the next 12 months.

LogistiCare, which began in the mid-1990s in Connecticut, contracts small businesses to provide non-emergency medical transportation.

Besides operating call centers to coordinate its transportation network, the company maintains a stringent credentialing and review process for drivers, vehicles and their companies to ensure safety and security of passengers. It also handles vendor payment management.

With the growing need for NEMT services, LogistiCare is also adding companies to its network in Nevada.

Nationwide, the company ensures more than 56 million rides annually for some 21.5 million members in 39 states and the District of Columbia.

LogistiCare implemented the first Nevada-wide broker network for NRMT in 2003 and won competitive contract extensions in 2007 and 2011. In conjunction with contracted transportation providers, LogistiCare Nevada’s 99.9 percent complaint free service rate is unmatched in the medical transportation management industry, according to a written statement from the company.

“We see Nevada as an ideal market for growth and look forward to our continued partnership with the state,” said Herman Schwarz, CEO of LogistiCare, in a written statement. “Our aim with every contract is to partner with states, governments and managed care organizations to ensure their members have a reliable source of transportation to needed health services.”