Shannon Fiecke of the Shakopee Valley News:

Even though they will have to add staff, Scott and Carver counties estimate they can make $128,000 by taking on the state’s former responsibility for arranging Medical Assistance rides.

The state Legislature passed a law this year preventing the state Health Department from continuing to hire its own broker to arrange rides for clients to medical appointments in the 11-county metro area. The burden for arranging these rides was passed back to the counties.

After initially partnering with Anoka County to utilize the current broker, a Missouri company, Scott and Carver counties have decided to try it alone.

The counties expect to personally save $30,000 in broker fees by arranging rides themselves, making sure all transportation is medically related and clients use the least expensive option to reach a destination. The federal government reimburses counties for half of these administrative costs.

Moreover, the counties expect to retain $120,000 after expenses for providing rides themselves on their jointly-operated transit service, SmartLink.

The state was spending nearly $16 million per year on medical transportation in the 11-county metro area.

Rides can be provided by clients themselves (reimbursed at 20 cents per mile), by a volunteer driver (reimbursed at 55 cents per mile) or through contracting with a transportation provider ($10 for the first five miles and $1.25 per mile after).

SmartLink estimates it can provide 70 percent of projected rides for local clients in-house, using existing vehicles and drivers.

Commissioner Jon Ulrich of Savage, who serves on a regional transportation board, called it an “exciting initiative” during a recent county meeting, and said the two counties could become a model for the region.

The transit service already saves public transportation dollars by providing rides for disabled residents on the same buses used for transporting the general public — a concept local officials believe their metro peers should copy to save money.

The Metropolitan Council has been looking to standardize Dial-A-Ride’s door-to-door services throughout the metro area, which is currently provided in a haphazard fashion in certain areas.

Unlike Scott and Carver Counties, which have one agency providing Dial-a-Ride transit services for disabled patrons, there is a plethora of churches, non-profits and others contracted by the Met Council to do so in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.

Ulrich said he’d like Scott and Carver’s transit service to share its story with the regional transportation advisory board. Although last month a Met Council staff told the group they couldn’t do what Scott County is attempting to do, “other TAB members said, ‘Why not?’” Urlich said.

Troy Beam, Scott County’s transit director, responded that Met Council staff is now scheduled to come look at Scott and Carver’s operation. They are “wondering why they wouldn't do the same thing,” he said.

To manage medical rides in-house, Scott County commissioners approved adding one full-time temporary employee with benefits to manage the program, schedule rides, compile and report the information to the state and do account payables and receivables.
The counties will also absorb the additional fuel and maintenance for their vehicles.

However, the impact on the fleet should be minimal, as the counties only expect to add 25 to 30 trips a day, whereas they currently provide upwards of a 1,000 each day, Beam said.

Shannon Fiecke is a staff writer for the Shakopee Valley News. She can be reached at sfiecke@swpub.com.