BUFFALO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Independent Health announces a new Medicare Advantage transportation benefit for 2020 through a strategic partnership with SafeRide Health, a non-emergency medical transportation technology and services leader dedicated to driving healthier lives. Through this new collaboration, Independent Health is leading the way in Western New York offering an innovative, technology-forward benefit for Medicare enrollees looking for plans that make quality healthcare easier to obtain.
The non-emergency transportation benefit will be available on three plans: Independent Health’s Encompass 65 Basic HMO, Assure Advantage C-SNP and Family Choice I-SNP plans.
Members who enroll in these plans will be able to access a wide range of options through SafeRide’s ride-matching technology. As part of the service, Independent Health members will have an option to receive reminders and updates via SMS text messages and phone calls, ensuring rides will arrive on-time and at the correct location.
“Independent Health believes that preventive care and the doctor-patient relationship are key to helping our members lead healthier lives,” said Dawn Odrzywolski, Vice President, Medicare Programs, Independent Health. “Offering non-emergency transportation through SafeRide will help improve access to doctor visits and other health-related appointments. We evaluated various ways to offer this new benefit and choose SafeRide Health because of their commitment to deliver exceptional member transportation experiences.”
“Delivering healthy outcomes for people through transportation is the cornerstone of SafeRide Health,” said Robbins Schrader, CEO, SafeRide Health. “We immediately saw that same dedication at Independent Health and are excited to make this joint commitment to improving the lives of people in Western New York.”
Access to reliable non-emergency medical transportation continues to be one of the biggest barriers to care for seniors in America. Independent Health and SafeRide Health are dedicated to improving the long-term health of Western New York’s most vulnerable population. SafeRide’s platform offers members on-demand rides for last minute appointments and reminders for rides scheduled for future medical appointments weeks in advance. For more information visit https://www.independenthealth.com and https://www.saferidehealth.com.
About SafeRide Health
SafeRide Health is a technology and services company dedicated to reducing barriers to care by improving the delivery of non-emergency medical transportation to people across America. SafeRide Health leverages proprietary technology, and a nationwide network of select transportation providers, to give payers and health systems a more intelligent way to deliver cost-effective, on-demand transportation while improving the patient experience. SafeRide’s premier network fulfills over 50,000 rides a week across the country for Medicare, Medicaid and commercial populations. Learn more at www.saferidehealth.com.
About Independent Health
Independent Health, a not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Buffalo, New York, serves nearly 320,000 members and provides innovative health care products and benefits designed to engage consumers in their health and well-being. Established in 1980, our comprehensive portfolio of progressive products includes HMO, POS, PPO and EPO products, Medicare and Medicaid plans, traditional indemnity insurance, individual and small group Exchange products, consumer-directed plans and health savings accounts, plus coverage for self-funded employers.
Independent Health is a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract offering HMO, HMO-SNP, HMO-POS and PPO plans. Enrollment in Independent Health depends on contract renewal.
