HealthTran

HealthTran is a project of the Missouri Rural Health Association in partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Center for Mobility Management. HealthTran began in 2013 and services 10 rural counties in South Central Missouri. Rural areas in southern Missouri lack full-time adequate numbers of healthcare providers; therefore, individuals seeking care must be able to drive or travel several miles from their hometown to access care. Transportation has been a barrier to healthcare access in rural Missouri. Approximately 25% of missed appointments are transportation-related, causing an average loss of $544,500 in revenue for a provider that sees an average of 22 patients per day. HealthTran rides are made to be affordable, averaging $3 for a local trip, to $81-150 round-trip for specialty services. All costs are dependent upon the trip's distance. Those who benefit from the service are mainly elderly, disabled and/or Medicare/Medicaid dually eligible patients who are referred to HealthTran by a medical provider.

To provide transportation to patients in South Central Missouri who otherwise have non-existent, limited, or expensive transportation options to and from healthcare appointments.

HealthTran has helped to improve healthcare access and long-term health outcomes, as well as reduced preventable hospitalizations and unnecessary emergency department visits.

In the first 17 months, HealthTran provided 2,470 rides for patients receiving services. Transportation costs totaled just over $66,000, and when including staffing, the total cost of coordinating and paying for the program was approximately $95,000, an average of $33 per ride. These patients resulted in over $730,000 in payments to the hospital and its clinics. In short, for every $1 invested in transportation, the hospital earned $7.68 in reimbursement.