PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The I-Team is digging into hundreds of complaints against a medical transportation company that operates in Florida, and some of them involve delays that could mean life or death.
Modivcare provides rides to Medicaid recipients like Chuck Pecoraro, who lives with stage five kidney failure. Every other day he waits for a ride that may never come, and in his case, a no-show is dangerous.
“If I don't get the rides to go to my treatment every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for three hours and 45 minutes at a time, I die," he said.
Pecoraro lives in Safety Harbor, just 10 minutes away from the dialysis center, but he said the medical transport drivers don't always show up and often arrive over 30 minutes late.
“These are life-sustaining rides," he said. "And if I don't get to the appointment on time, I lose chair time and time of my life.”
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His Medicaid provider United Health Care contracts Modivcare to take people to receive non-emergency medical appointments. According to the Better Business Bureau, more than 400 people filed complaints against Modivcare in the past three years.
In February, the I-Team exposed what happened to Tammy Lenze after she got into a Modivcare hired ride to the doctor. The drive turned dangerous when the man behind the wheel hit speeds of nearly 100 miles an hour.
“I knew I was in trouble then," Lenze said.
The I-Team found that the driver was a convicted felon, and records revealed a dozen different traffic infractions, including speeding and running red lights in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Polk counties.
ABC Action News asked Modivcare about the complaints. The company sent this statement:
“Modivcare takes the privilege of providing transportation services to our nation’s most vulnerable populations very seriously. Through our proprietary network of NEMT providers, we successfully coordinate over 5 million rides annually in the state of Florida, of which 99.7% are complaint free. Our transportation professionals continually review provider performance specifically related to complaints, no-shows, and on-time performance to that we provide the highest quality service delivery. All of our efforts are dedicated to providing the best transportation experience for the members of our health plan partners.”
ABC Action News contacted Pecoraro’s insurer, UHC, after hearing his story.
“Within days of you contacting the insurance company. The insurance company called me with an investigator," Pecoraro said.
United Health Care told ABC Action News, “We are committed to addressing gaps in care for our members... Mr. Pecoraro has been assigned a dedicated care coordinator to assist with his transportation needs, and he has indicated this issue is resolved.”
Pecoraro said in the weeks since we contacted UHC, his rides have all been on time.
“It is just absolutely wonderful to know or be assured that the driver is going to be here,” he said.
If you are experiencing a similar issue, you can file a complaint with the Agency for Health Care Administration. 1-888-419-3456 or Licensed Health Care Facility Complaint Form.
