DENVER — The state on Wednesday officially terminated its contract with MedRide, a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) service, meaning the company will no longer be reimbursed for rides it provides to Medicaid patients in Colorado.
The move by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) comes days after the company's contract was suspended. MedRide took that suspension to court and was allowed to resume service Monday.
In a statement, HCPF accused MedRide of "consistently [failing] to meet numerous state and federal regulations, jeopardizing the health and safety of Health First Colorado members."
“I want to reiterate that HCPF’s top priorities are the safety and well-being of Health First Colorado members and the sound stewardship of our safety net coverage programs,” said HCPF Medicaid Director Adela Flores-Brennan.
- Watch our coverage of MedRide's contract suspension in the video player below
Following the termination, MedRide issued a statement saying it is appealing the state's decision through the Colorado Attorney General's Office to remedy the situation.
“Despite MedRide’s multiple attempts to complete HCPF’s due process for revalidation and credentialing, HCPF continues to be unresponsive and TransDev has rejected MedRide’s submission to certify its vehicles,” said Henry Baskerville, equity partner at Fortis Law Partners, which represents MedRide. “That’s not just my client claiming that’s what happened, we have email documentation that proves this."
Denver7 spoke with MedRide users just days ago when the contract was initially suspended.
“I'm hoping and I'm praying that they, for some reason, will iron this all out," said Debra Newman, whose son, Ryan Roth, has been using MedRide since April 2024. The two live in Cañon City, Colorado.
According to a copy of the notice of termination from HCPF, since Nov. 6, 2024, MedRide has submitted claims that were denied for the following reasons:
- the member was not eligible on the date of service;
- the claim was for a duplicative service;
- the member birth date did not match the member ID; and
- the service was not covered by the member’s benefit plan.
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