Numerous patients, medical professionals and transportation providers told Public Investigator they, too, were experiencing difficulties with LogistiCare after the Journal Sentinel reported Friday on the for-profit, Atlanta-based company's problems coordinating rides for Medicaid recipients in Wisconsin.

Previously, individual counties determined how Medicaid patients with no other ride would get to nonemergency medical appointments. On July 1, the state began requiring many Medicaid enrollees to schedule such rides through LogistiCare, which arranges transport for Medicaid and Medicare recipients in 38 states.

Five weeks into LogistiCare's three-year contract with the state - which earns the company approximately $33 million per year while saving the state about $2.5 million - readers complained that patients are still arriving late to appointments, siblings aren't being permitted to ride together, and the company's mechanism for working with transportation providers is chaotic.

Those reports stand in stark contrast to statements by state Department of Health Services officials that LogistiCare's serious problems have dropped off and that 99% of rides in Wisconsin have occurred without complaints.

"We understand there are pockets where issues exist," department spokeswoman Beth Kaplan wrote in an email. "LogistiCare is working on addressing these on a daily basis. . . . Many more rides are now being provided to Medicaid members."

A sampling of reader complaints:

"After nearly three weeks of trying to do business with LogistiCare, we gave up and refuse to accept rides from their company," Joe Sanfelippo, leasing manager for American United Taxi Cab of Milwaukee, wrote in an email. "They would email or fax a list of rides and, a couple of hours later, call and say not to do them. The next day at 9 or 10 in the morning, we'd get a list of rides for people with 8 a.m. appointments."

Latasha Elam of Milwaukee said her mother, Gloria Elam, missed one dialysis appointment and arrived 30 minutes late to another when LogistiCare began arranging her rides. Elam also said LogistiCare stopped allowing her mother to ride with Phoenix Transportation, a medical transport provider she'd used for more than a year.

"Phoenix Transportation was always on time," Elam said, adding that she can't drive her mother on days she has to work. Phoenix Transportation owner Ruth McDell said LogistiCare stopped giving her clients after her company had several disagreements with LogistiCare staff.

Kathleen Frank, a psychotherapist in Brookfield, said at least 10 of her patients who are children can no longer see her because their parents work and LogistiCare won't schedule their rides unless they're accompanied by an adult. Frank said her patients, who are about 10 years old and have mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder, used to ride unaccompanied with Phoenix Transportation without problems. Frank also said she can no longer work with sibling groups because the LogistiCare drivers who transport those patients won't take more than one child at a time.

"LogistiCare (arranges) transportation for any minor children (and an accompanying escort or parent) that have an appointment for a Medicaid-covered service," Kaplan wrote in an email. "Minor children need to have an adult with them - this could be a parent, neighbor, family friend, for example."

Tammy Kuehl of West Allis also said LogistiCare would no longer schedule her children's rides with Phoenix Transportation. She said twice in mid-July the new provider did not show up at all, and that four times - most recently July 28 - the provider would only drive one of her sons, even though both had appointments at the same clinic.

"That transportation provider is in violation of our contract. I'd very much like to know who that provider is," said Robert Harrison, corporate director of operations for LogistiCare.

Several readers said the "Where's My Ride" line did not work or resulted in very long hold times.

"There have been long wait times on that line, and we are hiring additional staff and (transferring) calls to staff in other states," said Harrison, who implements contracts between LogistiCare and newly added states. He said once LogistiCare knows the level of demand in Wisconsin, it will hire enough extra agents for all calls about Wisconsin patients to be answered at the company's call center in Madison.

Harrison also said calls averaged 2 minutes, 13 seconds during the company's "most challenging week of implementation," the third week of July. Public Investigator called the line three times Monday and Tuesday, waiting 3 minutes, 15 seconds; 1 minute, 19 seconds; and 45 seconds for answers.

"I've received calls to do trips 200 miles away," said Jim Brown, president of the Specialized Medical Vehicle Association of Wisconsin and owner of Wheels of Independence in Wisconsin Rapids.

Brown added that LogistiCare also has repeatedly sent two different providers to the same appointment. "For a company as large as they are that has provided transportation to over 30 states, I expected them to be more prepared."

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Report complaints

State officials say they are monitoring LogistiCare's performance and encourage users to report problems. The company's complaint line is the same as the "Where's My Ride?" line, (866) 907-1494.