HPSM's Ride Benefit: Frequently Asked Questions

HPSM’s Ride Benefit provides no-cost transportation to and from approved healthcare visits for eligible members who have no other means of transportation.

HPSM’s Ride Benefit is for Medi-Cal and CareAdvantage members. HPSM HealthWorx members and ACE participants are not eligible to use the Ride Benefit.

There is no cost when transportation is authorized by HPSM or scheduled through American Logistics. Members are not reimbursed for rides not approved by American Logistics and other forms of NMT are not covered. HPSM will only reimburse you for a ride you paid for through another ride service if American Logistics confirms that you called them to schedule a ride but they could not schedule a ride for you.

Call HPSM’s contract provider, American Logistics

• CareAdvantage members: 1-877-356-1080. 
• Medi-Cal members: 1-844-856-4389. 
• TTY users: 1-800-735-2929 or 7-1-1.

American Logistics will ask:

• For your HPSM member ID.
• If you have another means of transportation to your appointment.
• For the date and time you need transportation.
• For your cell phone number.
• For the pick-up and drop-off addresses.
• If the ride is for a health-related purpose. 
• Whether you need curb-to-curb or door-to-door service.
• If you will be traveling with medical equipment.

Approved healthcare visits include:

• Medically necessary services covered by Medi-Cal (such as doctor’s appointments, Diabetes Prevention Program sessions, rehabilitation therapy and diagnostic testing).
• Dental visits.
• Outpatient behavioral health therapy sessions.
• Pharmacy visits to pick up prescription medicines and medical supplies. (Prescription and/or provider recommendation is required.)
• Substance use disorder visits, including Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings.
• Dialysis centers.
• Urgent care.
• Pharmacies.
• Sleep studies.
• Medication-assisted treatment (e.g., methadone).
• Hospital or surgery centers.

Rides that are not covered include:

• Healthcare visits that Medi-Cal does not cover.
• Trips to non-healthcare settings (such as schools, government offices, grocery stores, shopping malls or other people’s homes).
• Healthcare settings outside of office hours or when you did not have an appointment.
• Pharmacies where you did not pick up prescription medicines or medical supplies.
• No-shows for scheduled rides.
• Gym visits not for HPSM’s Fitness Membership Program. (CareAdvantage members get 12 one-way rides or six roundtrip rides per month to the YMCA as part of HPSM’s Fitness Membership Program.)

To use HPSM’s Ride Benefit, you must meet these three criteria:

1. You do not have a driver’s license or do not have a vehicle.
2. You cannot get a ride to your appointment from a family member, friend or neighbor.
3. You cannot get to your appointment by public transportation (such as a bus or train).

There are no limits on how many rides you can get for approved healthcare visits. However, there is a limit on how many rides you can take to YMCA gyms for HPSM’s Fitness Membership Program (12 rides per month to the gym and/or back home). 

The HPSM Ride Benefit includes two types of ride services to meet different members’ needs: Non-Medical Transportation (NMT) and Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT).

1. Non-Medical Transportation (NMT)

2. Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT)

For more information about the NEMT service, check the Member Handbook and Provider Directory for your plan (Medi-Cal or CareAdvantage).

For NMT

Call American Logistics to schedule your ride at least two business days before your appointment. Phone hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For urgent requests, call as soon as possible.  

• Plan to be ready for pick-up at least an hour and 15 minutes prior to your appointment time. That will ensure you arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment.
• You must be ready to leave on time. The driver will only wait for five minutes (starting from the scheduled pick-up time or the time the driver arrives, whichever is later). The driver will try to contact you by calling the phone number you provided. If you do not show up for your ride on time, the driver will record the ride as a no-show. 
• Due to unforeseen traffic or other reasons, the vehicle may arrive later than the scheduled pick-up time. A ride to an appointment is considered late if the driver arrives more than fifteen minutes after the scheduled pickup time. A will-call ride is considered late if the driver arrives more than forty-five minutes after the member called American Logistics to request it.

For NEMT

Call HPSM at least five business days (Monday-Friday) before your appointment. For urgent appointments, call as soon as possible. Have your HPSM member ID card ready when you call.

If you need recurring NEMT to support your treatment plan, your treating physician can submit a request for ongoing services for a period of up to 12 months.

You must cancel rides you do not need by calling American Logistics at least two hours before your scheduled pick-up time to avoid a no-show on your record. Members with repeated no-shows on their record will be put on an appointment verification ride list. 

You must call HPSM Member Services to get pre-approval at least two business days prior to your appointment for the following types of rides before American Logistics will schedule them:

• Rides that start and/or end outside of San Mateo, San Francisco and/or Santa Clara Counties.
• Rides that are more than 50 miles one-way regardless of which county they go to.
• If both addresses are outside of San Mateo County.

Be ready for your ride at the requested pickup time 

• Your ride will be scheduled to pick you up at least an hour and fifteen minutes before your scheduled healthcare appointment so that you arrive at least fifteen minutes before your scheduled appointment time.
• Be ready for your ride at least 15 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. Drivers only have to wait five minutes past your scheduled pickup time, so please be ready when your ride comes.

If you schedule a round-trip ride, you must call American Logistics when you are ready to be picked up for the return trip

• The return trip is called a “will-call” ride.
• CareAdvantage members: 1-877-356-1080. 
• Medi-Cal members: 1-844-856-4389. 
• TTY users: v1-800-735-2929 or 7-1-1.

Due to unforeseen traffic or other reasons, your ride may come later than the scheduled pick-up time

• For first pickup rides (the outbound ride) to the appointment, a ride is late if the driver gets there more than fifteen minutes after your scheduled pickup time.
• For rides home from an appointment (the “will-call ride”), a ride is late if the driver gets there more that forty-five minutes after you called American Logistics to ask for the will-call return ride.
  

One other person can go with you in the vehicle 

• When you call American Logistics to schedule a ride, tell them that someone will be going with you so that they can order the right size of vehicle.
• If the ride is for a child’s health-care appointment, a second adult may go with the child in the vehicle.
• You may have to share a ride with some other HPSM member you do not know who is going to the same place.

Yes, but you must provide current documentation (no more than one year old) on letterhead from a licensed mental health professional stating:

1. That you have a disability. 
2. The reason why the animal must travel with you, such as: 
   • That you have a mental health-related disability listed in the DSM-IV.
   • Having the animal accompany you is necessary for your mental health or treatment.
3. The provider assessing your need is a licensed mental health professional and that you are under their care.

A parent or guardian must provide written consent by completing a Transportation of a Minor Consent Form before requesting a ride for an unaccompanied minor (age 12 to 17):

• Email your completed form to MemberServicesSupport@hpsm.org or fax to 650-616-8581.
• Call HPSM Member Services at 1-800-750-4776 or 650-616-2133 for help scheduling the ride with American Logistics.

Yes. When a minor (ages 12 to 17) schedules their ride, they should tell American Logistics that they need a ride to sensitive care or minor consent services. Or they can call HPSM Member Services at 1-800-750-4776 or 650-616-2133 for help scheduling the ride with American Logistics.

American Logistics normally schedules pick-up and will-call/return rides during normal provider business hours (6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). For urgent appointments, please call as soon as possible.