Economic Benefit of "Modern" Nonemergency Medical Transportation That Utilizes Digital Transportation Networks.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the economic benefit of "modern" nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) that utilizes digital transportation networks compared with traditional NEMT in the United States.

METHODS: We used the National Academies' NEMT cost-effectiveness model to perform a baseline cost savings analysis for provision of NEMT for transportation-disadvantaged Medicaid beneficiaries. On the basis of a review of the literature, commercial information, and structured expert interviews, we performed a sensitivity analysis to determine the incremental economic benefit of using modern NEMT. We estimated confidence intervals (CIs) by using Monte Carlo simulation.

RESULTS: Total annual net savings for traditional NEMT in Medicaid was approximately $4 billion. For modern NEMT, estimated savings on ride costs varied from 30% to 70%. In comparison with traditional, modern NEMT was estimated to save $268 per expected user (95% CI = $248, $288 per member per year) and $537 million annually (95% CI = $496 million, $577 million) when scaled nationally.

CONCLUSIONS: Modern NEMT has the potential to yield greater cost savings than traditional NEMT while also improving patient experience. Public Health Implications: Barriers to NEMT are a health risk affecting high-need, economically disadvantaged patients. Economic arguments supporting modern NEMT are important given decreased support for human services spending. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 24, 2019: e1-e3. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304857).