Complaints Stream In Against Embattled Broker Of Medical Rides; Patients Stranded, Rides Missed

A diabetes patient stranded for hours after a doctor’s appointment; a child with asthma missing a medication adjustment; wheelchair users denied transportation for want of a wheelchair van, while a squadron of vans sit idle.

The stream of complaints against Veyo, the state’s Medicaid transportation broker, continued unfettered at a legislative meeting Wednesday, as it has for seven months, with health professionals saying they are spending hours each week trying to assure that patients get to and from appointments, often without success.

Meanwhile, Veyo continues to be paid. The San Diego-based vendor receives a $24 million administrative fee and is entrusted with the state’s Medicaid transportation funds — about $140 million over three years — to arrange nonemergency rides for the state’s poorest, sickest patients, including thousands of children. There are 800,000 Medicaid patients in the state, taking four million medical rides a year. Veyo sets the rates it pays the transportation companies and can keep the money it doesn’t spend, to reinvest in the program.

“It’s very difficult to defend ourselves against a story,” Veyo regional director Dave Coppock said after four speakers — a children’s rights attorney and three health professionals — had testified about missed rides, cancelled trips, patients stranded for hours, sedans arriving instead of requested wheelchair vans — all issues that they said have jeopardized patient’s health.

Read more: http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-medical-transport-complaints-0719-story.html