Increasing Access to Healthcare
Every year, 3.6 million Americans miss or delay their medical care because they have no way of getting to their appointments. Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) plays a vital role in positive member health outcomes, but makes up less than 1% of total healthcare expenditures.
As Medicaid and Medicare populations expand and the number of patients facing chronic health conditions grows, NEMT is more important than ever to ensure these members receive the routine care they need to remain healthy and contain medical costs. Using networks of credentialed transportation providers, MTM helps more than 13 million members access healthcare annually.
In the United States, almost half of all healthcare spending is used to treat just 5% of the population: special needs members with costly chronic health conditions. More of these members are electing to receive medical care and support services in their own homes instead of nursing homes, hospitals, and institutions.
High quality home health coordination is essential to continue helping these members avoid expensive long-term care. MTM is proud to partner with health plans to relieve the burden of coordinating disparate networks of providers. From home modifications, pest control, and meal preparation to equine, canine, and art therapies, our coordination model helps keep members happy and healthy in their homes–not the hospital.
Preventative care and early intervention support health plans in achieving their most important goals: improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare spending. Even with access to the best primary care available, members need to be engaged and incentivized to utilize these resources appropriately.
MTM’s preventative care services help health plans identify high risk members–including frequent utilizers of emergency room and urgent care services–and create care plans to divert members to more appropriate care. Beginning with initial discharge planning and continuing with ongoing member education, MTM connects members with treatment from primary care physicians, curbing costly hospitalizations and emergency room care.
MTM is synonymous with NEMT, an incredibly important component of ensuring Medicaid and Medicare members can access healthcare—but what if there was something more health plans could do to provide community transportation for their members, with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes, reducing healthcare expenses, and encouraging members to improve their quality of life?
NEMT services are traditionally leveraged to minimize the gap between members and access to healthcare. However, these members also face challenges in accessing other aspects of their communities, primarily services revolving around social determinants of health. Using NEMT to ensure members get to their medical appointments is only half the battle in improving health outcomes and ensuring long-term social wellbeing.
