Current through Vol. 42, No. 1, September 16, 2024
(a) An attendant must accompany members
during SoonerRide NEMT . An attendant must be at least at the level of a
nurse's aide, and must have the appropriate training necessary to provide any
and all assistance to the member, including physical assistance needed to seat
the member in the vehicle. The attendant must have the ability to interface
with health care providers as appropriate. An attendant must be of an age of
legal majority recognized under Oklahoma State law.
(1) The long-term care facility must provide
an attendant to accompany members receiving NEMT services.
(2) The attendant will be responsible for any
care needed by the member(s) during transport and any assistance needed by the
member(s) to assure the safety of all passengers and the driver of the vehicle.
An attendant leaves the vehicle at its destination and remains with the
member(s).
(3) When multiple
members residing in the same long-term care facility are being transported to
the same provider for health care services, thelong-term care facility may
provide one(1) qualified attendant for three(3) members unless other
circumstances indicate the need for additional attendants. Such circumstances
might include, but are not limited to:
(A)
The physical and/or mental status of the member(s);
(B) Difficulty in getting the member(s) in
and out of the vehicle;
(C) The
amount of time that a member(s) would have to wait unattended, etc.
(4) SoonerRideNEMT is not
responsible for arranging for an attendant. The services of the attendant are
not directly reimbursable by the SoonerRide program or SoonerCare. The cost for
the attendant is included in the SoonerCare long-term care facility per diem
rate.
(5) In certain instances, a
family member or legal guardian may wish to accompany the member for health
care services. In such instances, the family member or legal guardian may
accompany the member in place of the attendant. Only one(1) medical escort may
accompany a member and it must be declared, upon reservation, that the medical
escort is accompanying the member . The medical escort must be able to provide
any services and assistance necessary to assure the safety of the member in the
vehicle.
(A) When a medical escort wishes to
accompany the member in place of an attendant provided by the long-term care
facility , the medical escort and the long-term care facility must sign a
release form stating that a medical escort will be traveling with the member
and performing the services which would normally be performed by the attendant.
This release must be faxed to the SoonerRide broker's business office prior to
the date of the transport.
(B) If a
medical escort is used in place of an attendant provided by the long-term care
facility , that medical escort cannot be counted as a medical escort for any
other member who is traveling in the same vehicle.
(C) In the event that additional individuals
request transportation, it is the responsibility of the member to contact the
transportation provider directly to request allotment of additional passengers.
The SoonerRide NEMT broker will not facilitate this request.
(D) A medical escort or attendant is not
eligible for direct compensation by the SoonerRideNEMT broker or SoonerCare.
(b) For
members who require SoonerRide NEMT for dialysis, one (1) attendant is required
to accompany a group of up to three (3) dialysis patients when they are being
transported for dialysis services. The attendant must remain with the
patient(s) unless the provider of the dialysis treatment and the long-term care
facility sign a release form stating that the presence of the attendant is not
necessary during the dialysis treatment. The release must be faxed to the
SoonerRideNEMT broker's business office prior to the date of the dialysis
service.
(1) In instances when an attendant
does not remain with the member(s) during dialysis treatment, SoonerRideNEMT is
not responsible for transporting the attendant back to the long-term care
facility .
(2) In instances when an
attendant does not remain with the member(s) during dialysis treatment, the
long-term care facility is responsible for providing an attendant to accompany
the member(s) on the return trip from the dialysis center. The long-term care
facility is also responsible for transporting that attendant to the dialysis
center in order to accompany the member(s) on the return trip.
(c) In the event that a member is
voluntarily moving from one (1) long-term care facility to another, SoonerRide
will provide NEMT to the new facility. The long-term care facility that the
member is moving from will be responsible for scheduling the transportation and
providing an attendant for the member.
(d) In the event that along-term care
facility's license is terminated, SoonerRide will provideNEMT to a newlong-term
care facility . The long-term care facility that the member is moving from will
be responsible for scheduling the NEMT through SoonerRide and providing an
attendant to accompany the member. SoonerRide is only responsible for
transporting the member. Personal belongings and/or durable medical equipment
(with the exception of portable oxygen or a wheelchair that is medically
necessary for transportation) will not be transported through SoonerRide NEMT.
(e) The long-term care facility is
responsible for providing a wheelchair when needed. This item is not provided
by the SoonerRide NEMT transport.
