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Coborrus County Transportation Services Finol Report — September 2015 Cabarrus County Department of Human Services The Director of the Department of Human Services was interviewed in terms of the Medicaid transportation provided by COTS. The Department of Human Services (DHS) (formerly the Department of Social Services) has been using CCTS's services since they began providing service. They have been satisfied with CCTS's service overall, especially since they recently increased their capacity for Medicaid trips by reducing funds used for taxis and adding new vans. CCTS meets all the Medicaid needs, but it was acknowledged that funding has been scarce to meet the demand for other types of services. DHS noted that CCTS has good coordination with other services, such as Charlotte. One area noted as needing improvement is better enforcement of all Medicaid rules. The Department of Human Services noted that clients are sometimes allowed to dictate where they travel to (e.g., going to a doctor far away when a closer doctor could be used) and this puts a burden on the transportation service. It was acknowledged that this may be more of an issue for DHS to deal with, not necessarily COTS. As far as advertising and marketing, DHS noted that most people know about COTS, but there is some misunderstanding about what they do (i.e., the services they provide, who can ride, etc.). It was noted that CCTS and DHS work well together and have regularly scheduled coordination meetings. DHS mentioned a few areas that they feel should be addressed in the CTSP, as follows: • Expanded Medicaid system (Affordable Care Act) could cause capacity issues. • How do we plan for uncertainty (funding, capacity, etc.)? • How will CCTS maintain services and meet growing needs with cuts in funding and loss of grants? • How can residents in outlying areas such as Midland and Harrisburg be served? Davita Dialysis Davita Dialysis has been using CCTS services since they opened (five years ago). CCTS transports patients to and from dialysis and also to physicians' offices. Davita Dialysis is satisfied with CCTS service, but it was noted that the wait times for patients can be excessive. There were instances when their clients had to wait up to 2.5 hours post- treatment for a ride home. It was noted that CCTS does not seem to have any back -up drivers, so when a driver is out sick, the wait times increase. Reducing wait times is one specific service enhancement that would result in vastly better service quality offered to dialysis patients. Davita Dialysis receives some requests for transportation to physicians outside of Cabarrus County, so more out -of- county trips or trip coordination with the surrounding agencies might also be beneficial. Attachment number 1 \n F -3 Page 119