Colorado Medicaid transport company reaches settlement with state

The state s largest Medicaid transportation provider has reached a settlement with state administrators after a four-month legal fight that briefly threw healthcare movement for thousands of Coloradans into limbo The settlement filed in Denver District Court last month requires MedRide to institute several vetting processes to ensure its drivers are credentialed and its clients are legitimate Medicaid patients MedRide provides free rides to clinical appointments for Medicaid patients as part of a state undertaking that agents allege was plagued with fraud two years ago The terms of the settlement are part of the state s broader efforts to tighten the operation s requirements and payment structures In February state personnel had briefly suspended and then ended Colorado s contract with MedRide and state Medicaid accused MedRide of engaging in fraud MedRide denied the claims and filed a lawsuit A judge later blocked the contract termination allowing the company to continue operating MedRide and other providers previously explained The Denver Post that they were struggling to comply with Medicaid s shifting new vetting requirements which included increased background checks and more documentation for longer trips Related Articles Colorado Medicaid to pay for collaborative work to bring mental physical condition into primary care Colorado Medicaid patients who used Planned Parenthood must find new doctors Here s how the Trump tax bill will impact Colorado from Medicaid to new tax breaks to resource credits Colorado school districts weigh job cuts as Trump continues to withhold million in K- funding The One Big Beautiful Bill will have ballot box repercussions Letters MedRide had still been providing rides to patients through almost all of the legal saga and the settlement means only that the ongoing lawsuit ends The company provided rides in Colorado last year a spokesman previously explained The Post We are pleased to have reached this agreement so both MedRide and the state Department of Fitness Care Protocol and Financing can focus our time and guidance on providing safe affordable transportation services to eligible Colorado Medicaid members Medicaid Director Adela Flores-Brennan explained in a comment In scores of new drivers had signed up for the delivery initiative known as non-emergency physiological transportation after state agents eased restrictions on the organization A few drivers packed their cars with multiple patients including chosen who were picked up from homeless encampments and drove them across the state to drug remedy programs maximizing their profit and violating Medicaid rules Medicaid representatives who had previously been warned that the venture needed tighter regulations have refused to say how much money was lost in the scheme and have not commented whether anyone has been arrested or charged Medicaid then sought to tighten the undertaking prompting MedRide and other providers to complain that they weren t being paid Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot