Rides to Adult Day Health Programs in Massachusetts

Ask the program first. Adult day health transportation is a MassHealth service in its own right under 130 CMR 404.413, and most programs either run their own vans or hire a vendor, so the trip to and from the program may already be covered at no cost to the family. Hire a private ride only for the trips the program van cannot do. Ours is $115 each way and $230 round trip within five miles of the pickup, then $2 a mile beyond that.

Does the adult day health program provide the ride?

Usually yes, and you should confirm it before you pay anyone else. MassHealth defines adult day health transportation as the trip between the member's home and the program in either direction, including help getting into and out of the vehicle. The rules at 130 CMR 404.413 apply whether the program drives the member itself or uses a subcontracted vendor, and drivers have to pass a CORI check plus drug and alcohol testing before they are hired.

Call the program's intake or transportation coordinator and ask three things: whether your street is on an existing van route, which days they can cover, and what the pickup window is.

What does the program van usually not cover?

Anything that is not a trip between home and the program on a scheduled day. A route built for a group also carries limits that families only discover in week two:

• A pickup window rather than a set time, which can mean a long ride while other members are collected
• Vehicles that cannot take a large power wheelchair or a heavier chair
• Curb to curb service, so the front steps and the walkway are still the family's problem
• No ride on a day the member is not enrolled to attend
• No detour to a doctor visit on the way home

If any of those is your sticking point, that is the trip worth paying for. If none of them is, keep the program van and keep your money.

What does a private wheelchair accessible ride cost?

The rate is at the top of this page and it is the same rate whether the destination is a day program or a hospital. The van is wheelchair accessible, the chair is secured for the trip, and the driver helps at both ends rather than leaving the member at the curb. We also run stretcher transport for members who cannot sit for the ride.

For a comparison of ride pricing across destinations, see how much wheelchair transportation costs in Massachusetts.

What if the hard part is getting out of the house?

The electric stair chair, used when there is no ramp and the member cannot manage the steps.

Stair assistance is $200 a visit. Two trained staff come with an electric stair chair, which is what a three family walk up with no ramp actually requires. This is the piece almost no van service includes, and it is the reason some members stop attending a program they are still enrolled in. Call us for the chair's rated weight capacity before you book, because it matters and we will give you the real number on the phone.

Can an aide ride along and stay with the member?

Yes. Home health aide care is $45 an hour, one to eight hours a day, with no minimum contract, no assessment fee and no four hour minimum per visit. An aide can ride with the member, help them settle in, and be there again at the end of the day.

Our aides are trained, background checked and insured. They are not nurses. They do not administer medication, including insulin, they do not change dressings, and they do not make clinical judgments. If the member needs a clinical task during the day, that belongs to the program's nursing staff or to a separate skilled nursing visit, not to an aide.

What should I try before paying out of pocket?

In this order:

• The program's own van, including asking whether a route can be adjusted
• The Council on Aging in the member's town, which often runs van service for a small donation
• The regional transit authority's paratransit service, which takes an application and some lead time but costs very little per ride
• If the member has MassHealth, ask the program and the member's doctor about the transportation request a provider has to submit for rides to covered services
• Check the member's plan. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a set number of rides a year. Original Medicare does not cover routine rides to appointments and pays for an ambulance only when the transport is medically necessary

More on the free and low cost options in free rides to medical appointments for Massachusetts seniors. If the member also has a recurring treatment course, rides to daily radiation treatment covers how we handle a standing weekday schedule.

Can you cover a standing weekday schedule?

Yes. A day program is the easiest kind of ride to run on a fixed schedule because the times do not move. Rides are logged in MyCase, our own coordination platform, so a family member or a case manager can see that the pickup happened rather than calling to ask.

How do I set it up?

Call 781 957 8076 or email info@careremedyinc.com with the member's address, the program's address, the days and the start time. We serve eastern and central Massachusetts from offices in Woburn, Brockton and Springfield.

Coverage rules change and every authorization is different. Confirm what is covered with the program, with MassHealth or with your own plan before you arrange and pay for a ride.