Mississippi Medicaid broker

Modivcare in Mississippi: Fee-for-Service Rides and the Provider Manual (2027)

Updated September 30, 202610 min read

Modivcare has booked Mississippi's fee-for-service Medicaid rides in all 82 counties since June 8, 2024, under state contract 8200073083, which runs through June 7, 2027 with two optional one-year extensions. Transportation companies sign with Modivcare, and the Division of Medicaid approves each one before its first trip. Modivcare's February 2024 Mississippi manual sets the inspection, trip log, and invoice rules, and invoices lose 10% after 60 days.

Modivcare books Mississippi's fee-for-service Medicaid rides statewide, and its current term ends June 7, 2027 unless DOM extends it.
DOM pays Modivcare $37.55 or $74.29 per one-way trip plus up to 15%, and your own rate is set in your agreement with Modivcare.
Stretcher van trips more than tripled between fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2023, while wheelchair lift trips fell by about half.
A failed item marked for red-lining, such as the lift interlock or a mounted fire extinguisher, can pull a vehicle out of service with no pay for its trips.
You have 20 calendar days to appeal a complaint decision to Modivcare, and 30 days from its letter to take it to DOM.

Modivcare in Mississippi at a glance

Who it books rides for: Fee-for-service (traditional) Medicaid members in all 82 counties. MississippiCAN health plan members ride with MTM Health.
State contract: No. 8200073083, awarded February 8, 2024. Rides since June 8, 2024, through June 7, 2027, with two optional one-year extensions.
Contract value: Up to $96,544,607.49 for the three service years, or $160,907,679.15 if DOM uses both extensions
What DOM pays Modivcare: $37.55 per one-way ambulatory trip and $74.29 per one-way advanced trip, plus an admin fee of up to 15% of trip costs (2023 bid)
Joining: Sign Modivcare's transportation provider agreement. Modivcare asks DOM to approve your company at least 10 business days before your first trip, and you run no trips until DOM approves.
Network size: An average of 3.5 companies per county on August 7, 2024, with 15 counties served by only one
Invoices: Due within 60 days of the ride, cut 10% after that, and denied after 120 days. Paper claims are not accepted.
Inspections: Before the first trip and at least twice a year. A pass with qualification gives you 10 days to fix and reinspect.
Provider lines: Provider line 866-333-1043, provider complaints 866-381-4852, as of September 2026

More about Modivcare Statewide rules in Mississippi

Modivcare is the Medicaid ride broker for Mississippi’s fee-for-service members, the people in traditional Medicaid rather than a MississippiCAN health plan. It serves all 82 counties under one state contract, and the Division of Medicaid (DOM) approves every transportation company it adds. Company setup, the Department of Health permit, insurance minimums, and the full equipment list are in the Mississippi guide. This page covers what belongs to Modivcare’s Mississippi contract and its February 2024 provider manual. For the company in other states, see the Modivcare guide.

Who Modivcare books rides for in Mississippi

Modivcare took over on Saturday, June 8, 2024. MTM Health had run the program since July 2014 and kept every ride dated June 7 or earlier. DOM kept the member lines when the broker changed: members still book at 866-331-6004 and call Ride Assist at 866-334-3794, while clinics got a new facility line, 866-381-4850.

Members of Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare, and TrueCare ride with MTM Health instead, as MTM Health in Mississippi explains. Part 201, Rule 3.1 keeps three kinds of rides out of the broker program altogether: rides nursing homes and other long-term care facilities owe their residents, rides by pediatric extended care (PPEC) centers, and medically necessary hospital-to-hospital ambulance transfers, which DOM pays directly.

The state’s PEER Committee counted rides by type in state fiscal year 2023, the last full year in its count. That mix shows the vehicles the program runs on:

Ride type	Trips, fiscal 2023	Share of rides in a provider vehicle
Ambulatory (sedan or van)	430,457	79.8%
Wheelchair lift	95,186	17.7%
Stretcher van	10,348	1.9%
Non-emergency ambulance	3,135	0.6%
Gas mileage reimbursement	64,931	Paid to members, not companies

The trend matters more than the totals. Stretcher van trips grew from 2,978 in fiscal 2019 to 10,348 in fiscal 2023, while wheelchair lift trips fell from 188,751 to 95,186. On August 7, 2024, two months into the new contract, Modivcare had an average of 3.5 companies per county, and 15 counties had only one. If you run a stretcher van or serve one of those thin counties, say so when you apply.

The state contract and what DOM pays Modivcare

DOM issued its invitation for bids on January 13, 2023 and picked Modivcare as the lowest bidder. MTM protested on April 19, 2023, and kept running rides, under an emergency contract from October 2023, while the protest played out. The Public Procurement Review Board let DOM award the contract during the protest on February 7, 2024, DOM awarded contract 8200073083 the next day, and the board denied MTM’s appeal on February 20, 2024.

Contract term	Dates or amount
Implementation, at no cost to the state	February 8, 2024 to June 7, 2024
Service period	June 8, 2024 to June 7, 2027
Extensions	Two optional one-year periods, each needing the review board’s approval
Ceiling, three service years	$96,544,607.49
Ceiling with both extensions	$160,907,679.15

DOM pays Modivcare per one-way trip at its 2023 bid rates: $37.55 for an ambulatory trip, which covers basic vehicles, public transit, gas mileage, and volunteer drivers, and $74.29 for an advanced trip, meaning a wheelchair, stretcher, or non-emergency ambulance ride. On top of that comes a monthly admin fee of up to 15% of trip costs. DOM pays nothing for members who do not ride, so Modivcare’s income rises and falls with the trips it fills.

Those are Modivcare’s rates, not yours. Your rate is set in your agreement, which follows a model contract DOM approved for each mode of transportation, and DOM may ask Modivcare for the rate it pays each company by trip type. The bid terms also protect you if Modivcare fails: if it defaults without curing it and your agreement ends, the agreement passes to DOM or its agent, with the same terms and rates, until renegotiated.

Plan for June 7, 2027. At the last handover, the new broker had to keep companies working for the old one until the start date, and trips dipped: Modivcare reported 15,739 trips in July 2024, against about 48,000 a month before. Ask Modivcare’s provider relations team early in 2027 whether DOM has extended the contract, and keep running your trips until any switch date. See the Modivcare bankruptcy report for how its Chapter 11 case ended in December 2025.

How to join Modivcare’s Mississippi network

Apply and read. Send the transportation provider form on Modivcare’s website, then read the Mississippi manual and your agreement. The manual asks you to list your questions and call the local office to talk them through.
Credential your people. Driver records go to Modivcare’s credentialing team before a driver works and every year after. Each driver’s first driving record goes in through Modivcare’s credentialing platform, and every driver must be enrolled in the continuous driving record monitoring the manual names, which replaces the yearly record pull. When it flags a violation, pull a new record and send it in. Fingerprint checks are due within 90 days of your start date or the driver’s hire, and Modivcare must take back pay for trips by any driver who fails one (Part 201, Rule 2.1.B.10).
Pass the inspection described below.
Train and attest. Your staff attend orientation at a Modivcare office, at your base, or by webinar. Owners and drivers complete Modivcare’s compliance training when you sign and every year after: code of conduct, fraud, waste and abuse, HIPAA, the ADA, health and safety, cultural competency, and accident reporting.
Wait for DOM. Modivcare asks DOM to approve your company at least 10 business days before your first trip. A welcome letter gives the date trips start.

If you use the screening company Modivcare contracts with for background checks, its charge comes off your invoice at cost. You may use another vendor Modivcare approves instead. Modivcare’s contract also has it send DOM proof of Department of Health permits in its network. Under Section 41-55-71 as amended by HB 610, a company whose broker inspects and certifies its drivers and vehicles registers with the department instead of holding a permit, so settle with Modivcare that it will certify you, then register. The Mississippi guide has the department’s contacts and fees.

What fails a Modivcare inspection

Every vehicle is registered with Modivcare and inspected before its first trip, then at least every six months, and field monitors can inspect in between. The manual’s inspection form (version 08/2022) has three results: pass, pass with qualification, which leaves the vehicle in service for 10 days until reinspection, and fail or redline. A redlined vehicle carries no rider, earns no pay, and using one is grounds for ending your agreement.

The items the form flags as grounds to redline a vehicle include:

Every vehicle: horn, both outside mirrors, brakes and brake lights, headlights, turn signals, parking brake, tires, windows, working doors, heat and air conditioning, seat belts, a seat belt cutter, a mounted fire extinguisher, and a two-way radio or cell phone.
Wheelchair vehicles: 56 inches of headroom, a 56 by 30 inch door, hand rails, lap and shoulder belts, four forward-facing floor straps, the engine interlock, the lift lock and control securement, a metal mesh non-skid plate, a 1 inch anti-roll-off barrier, and a manual backup for the lift.
Stretcher vans: a gurney rated for 400 pounds and manufacturer gurney mounts. The form also checks for at least three belts on the gurney.

Modivcare also requires inward- and outward-facing cameras with real-time driver coaching (see dash cameras). Walk your vehicles through that list the day before the field monitor comes.

How trips reach you and what counts against you

Modivcare posts trips on its provider portal, or faxes a manifest at least 48 hours ahead to companies without portal access. Check each manifest for trips outside your service area or vehicle type and send them back through the portal at least 24 hours before pickup. Miss that window and Modivcare may charge you what it costs to cover the ride, unless a breakdown or accident caused it and you reported it at the time.

A few Mississippi rules shape the day:

Long runs to Jackson. Part 201 lets the broker send a member past a closer provider to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson without a doctor’s certification, and allows long-distance trips for up to 90 days after a member moves. Price your agreement with long Jackson runs in mind (see rural NEMT).
Discharges and urgent trips. The state contract holds the wait for a hospital discharge pickup to one hour after the call on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and three hours at other times. You meet the pickup time you agree to, or call the provider line so it can reassign the trip.
Will-calls. A return with no set time is dispatched when the member calls, and you have 45 minutes from Modivcare’s call to arrive.
Recurring trips. A clinic can set up recurring rides for a visit at least once a week for four weeks on the same day and time, and Modivcare posts a dialysis standing order form for facilities.
Children. A child under 6 or under 60 pounds rides only in a safety seat the member brings, installs, and takes along. If the seat is missing, do not carry the child, and send the member back to Modivcare to rebook.

Part 201 does not let members request a particular company. Modivcare’s Mississippi facility FAQ still says it will send the company a patient prefers whenever it can, so clinics that like your service help.

Modivcare checks your work from the other side too. Each month it calls clinics on at least 3% of ride requests before the trip, to confirm a covered appointment, and on 3% after, to confirm the visit happened, and reports the failures to DOM by company every quarter. Its state contract fines it up to $5,000 for each trip left unfilled, including a trip a company fails to show for, and for months when complaints top 0.17% of trips. The manual lets Modivcare send fewer trips, or assess damages, against a company with too many substantiated complaints. See broker penalties.

How Modivcare pays in Mississippi

Step	Rule in the February 2024 manual
Invoice	Within 60 days of the ride, with a complete trip log, through approved software or Modivcare’s web billing portal
Late invoice	10% off after 60 days, nothing after 120 days
Returned claim	Resubmit within 30 days for full pay, 10% off after that, denied after 60 days
Medicare first	The clock starts on Medicare’s denial date. Attach the denial notice.
Payment	Twice a month by check or electronic transfer, within 30 days of an uncontested invoice
Cancellations	Report in the portal by noon the day after the canceled trip, never on the billing log

Modivcare pays only for trips it assigned with a valid job number, run by drivers and vehicles it approved. It measures miles as the shortest route from pickup to drop-off, rounded to the nearest mile, so raise any mileage error before you run the trip. Modivcare may use vehicle location data to review mileage, service, or performance. The manual sends corrected claims by email to a billing address labeled for Virginia, so confirm the right address with the provider line before you resubmit one. For the log itself, use our trip log template, and see how to bill NEMT brokers.

Complaints and appeals

The state contract sets the clock on a complaint you file with Modivcare, at 866-381-4852 or through its staff. It must answer within one business day, update you within 10 business days, and decide within 20 calendar days. If you disagree, file the appeal form on Modivcare’s Mississippi site, with the complaint number, within 20 calendar days of the decision. Missing that date waives your right to a review. DOM may overturn the outcome if you contact it within 30 calendar days of Modivcare’s letter.

If Modivcare suspends or ends your agreement and you dispute it, the manual has each side name a senior manager to meet. Modivcare must also notify DOM in writing 15 days before ending a company’s contract, and DOM can direct it to end one.

Who to call at Modivcare in Mississippi

For	Contact
Provider questions, trip changes, no-shows	Provider line, 866-333-1043
Complaints from your company	866-381-4852
Appeals of complaint decisions	Online form on Modivcare’s Mississippi site, within 20 calendar days
Member reservations	866-331-6004, weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., three business days ahead
Late rides and will-call returns	Ride Assist, 866-334-3794 (north), 866-331-6006 (south)
Member complaints	866-381-4853
Clinics and hospitals	866-381-4850, fax 866-333-4523
DOM	800-421-2408 or 601-359-6050

What to do first

Call 866-333-1043 and ask which counties and vehicle types Modivcare is short on. The thin counties and stretcher work are the openings.
Read the Mississippi manual and your agreement side by side, and write down your questions for the local office.
Run the inspection list on each vehicle before the field monitor does, including the cameras.
Start fingerprint checks now, since trips by a driver without one on file go unpaid.
Settle the Department of Health step with Modivcare: broker certification and registration, or a permit if you also run rides it does not cover.
Set up billing so every invoice goes in well inside 60 days.
Mark June 7, 2027, the end of the current service period, and ask about extensions early in the year.

Frequently asked questions

What is Modivcare's phone number in Mississippi?

Transportation companies call the provider line at 866-333-1043 and file complaints at 866-381-4852. Members book rides at 866-331-6004 and call Ride Assist at 866-334-3794 when a ride is late, and they report problems at 866-381-4853. Clinics and hospitals use the facility line, 866-381-4850, and the facility fax, 866-333-4523. These are the numbers on Modivcare's Mississippi pages as of September 2026.

How do I become a Modivcare provider in Mississippi?

Send the transportation provider form on Modivcare's website, read the Mississippi manual and your agreement, then call 866-333-1043 to meet the local office. Modivcare credentials your drivers and vehicles, inspects each vehicle, trains your staff, and sends your company to the Division of Medicaid for approval at least 10 business days before your first trip. A welcome letter gives the date trips start.

When does Modivcare's Mississippi contract end?

The service period of contract 8200073083 runs from June 8, 2024 to June 7, 2027. The Division of Medicaid can extend it twice, one year at a time, and each extension needs approval from the Public Procurement Review Board. Each extension adds one year, so using both would carry the contract two years past June 7, 2027, with a total ceiling of $160,907,679.15.

How much does Modivcare pay providers in Mississippi?

Your rate is whatever your agreement with Modivcare says. The state contract lets Modivcare pay companies under any arrangement both sides accept. What the state pays Modivcare is public: $37.55 per one-way ambulatory trip and $74.29 per one-way wheelchair, stretcher, or non-emergency ambulance trip, plus an admin fee of up to 15%. Modivcare measures miles as the shortest route from pickup to drop-off, rounded to the nearest mile.

How fast does Modivcare pay in Mississippi?

Modivcare pays uncontested invoices twice a month, by check or electronic transfer, within 30 days of receiving them. If a pay date falls on a holiday, you are paid the next business day. The state contract fines Modivcare if it pays less than 90% of clean claims within 30 days or less than 99% within 90 days.

Where is Modivcare's office in Mississippi?

The state contract requires Modivcare to run its Mississippi call center and business office from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin County, the Jackson area, with no work from home, and DOM approves the location. The business office must be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call the provider line, 866-333-1043, to set up a meeting with the local office or an on-site visit from its provider relations team.

Does Modivcare handle MississippiCAN rides?

No. Modivcare books rides only for fee-for-service members. Members of Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare, and TrueCare book through MTM Health, so to drive both groups you need an agreement with each broker. Nursing home residents ride with transportation their facility arranges, outside both brokers.