# Anthem Medicaid Transportation in Ohio: MTM Rides, 30 Round Trips, and Booking Rules

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/anthem-ohio-medicaid/ · Updated 2026-09-30

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Ohio Medicaid members book free rides with MTM Health at 800-282-9720 (TTY 711), at least two full business days before a routine visit. Dialysis, chemotherapy, and radiation rides can be booked 90 days at a time, and urgent calls are taken around the clock. Members also get up to 30 extra round trips a year under 30 miles. Companies join through MTM.

- Anthem arranges its Ohio Medicaid rides through MTM Health, so an MTM contract is how a ride company gets Anthem trips.
- Anthem is one of two Ohio plans listing 30 extra round trips a year in the 2027 plan comparison, twice what most other plans list.
- Members can book dialysis, chemotherapy, and radiation rides for 90 days at a time, which gives a company steady repeat runs.
- A will-call ride home should arrive within 30 minutes of the member's call, per Anthem's handbook, so plan spare capacity near clinics.
- Anthem trips pay what your MTM agreement says, under Ohio rule 5160-15-28, not the state fee schedule.

## Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Ohio Medicaid) rides at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Member ride line | MTM Health, 800-282-9720 (TTY 711). The member handbook gives weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern, and the same line takes urgent, same-day, and discharge calls 24 hours a day. |
| Booking notice | At least two full business days before a routine visit, and no more than 30 days ahead |
| Standing rides | Repeat dialysis, chemotherapy, or radiation rides can be booked for 90 days at a time |
| Extra trips | Up to 30 round trips or 60 one-way trips a year under 30 miles, to care, grocery stores, food banks, caseworker meetings, pregnancy classes, and WIC, per Ohio's 2027 plan comparison (July 1, 2026) |
| Ride home | On a will-call return, the handbook says the driver should arrive within 30 minutes of the call. Members are told to be ready 15 minutes before pickup. |
| Vehicles used | Car, taxi, rideshare, or wheelchair lift van, matched to the member's mobility. Members who walk may ask for rideshare or a bus pass, or mileage for a driver they bring. |
| Rideshare card | A $25 Uber gift card for members 18 and older, on Anthem's transportation page as of September 2026. The October 2025 provider manual says one card each quarter. |
| Office line | 888-644-3547 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day, the MTM contact for non-emergency rides in Anthem's October 2025 Ohio provider manual |
| Vendor name | Anthem's provider benefits page still names Access2Care at the same 800-282-9720 number, as of September 2026. MTM completed its purchase of Access2Care in October 2024. |
| How to join | MTM Health's online Letter of Intent. Ohio wheelchair applicants need a valid Ohio EMS license and ODM provider ID, or MTM voids the application. |

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the trade name of Community Insurance Company, is one of Ohio's seven Medicaid health plans, and MTM Health arranges its members' non-emergency rides. Ohio requires each plan to cover wheelchair van and ambulance rides at any distance and car rides to care at least 30 miles away, while county job and family services offices arrange many trips under 30 miles; the [Ohio guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/ohio/) explains both. Anthem's own rules add two things a ride company plans around: a large allowance of short trips and 90-day bookings for treatment that repeats.

## How Anthem members book rides

Members call MTM at 800-282-9720 (TTY 711). Anthem's transportation page, as of September 2026, asks for at least two full business days before a routine appointment, and its member handbook says 48 hours, or two business days. Rides can be booked up to 30 days out. The handbook gives weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern for routine booking, while urgent, same-day, and discharge calls go to the same line 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The handbook lets these callers book an Anthem ride:

- Members 18 or older, and emancipated minors.
- A minor member's parent or legal guardian.
- An authorized representative.
- The member's caregiver or case manager.
- Doctors' offices, hospitals, and other facilities.

Each caller gives the member ID, full name, date of birth, current address, phone number, the pickup and drop-off addresses, and the appointment date and time, plus any special needs or instructions. Anthem's October 2025 provider manual lists a separate MTM contact for offices, 888-644-3547 (TTY 711), open 24 hours a day. Members change or cancel a ride at 800-282-9720 and can also cancel in the MTM mobile app.

Ohio's contract with its health plans, revised July 2026, says a plan may not require more than 48 hours of advance notice and must make exceptions for urgent needs and hospital discharges.

## Standing rides, same-day calls, and the ride home

The rule that shapes Anthem work most is the 90-day booking. Repeat appointments for dialysis, chemotherapy, or radiation can be booked for 90 days at a time, so one call can cover a dialysis patient's runs for about three months. For a ride company, that means a repeating schedule you can staff weeks ahead; see [standing orders](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-standing-orders/) and [dialysis transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/dialysis-transportation/).

Same-day work is narrower and less certain. The provider manual lists urgent care, hospital or facility discharge, chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis, and OhioRISE members as trips that can be booked urgent or same day. Anthem's provider benefits page says an urgent same-day ride can be scheduled within three hours, and its member page says MTM will try to find a ride, which is not a promise. A company that keeps one van free near a hospital can pick up these calls.

The ride home runs on a tight clock. The handbook tells members that on a [will-call](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/will-call-trip/) return, called in after the appointment, the driver should pick them up within 30 minutes. Members are also told to be ready 15 minutes before the scheduled pickup. Keep a return van close to the clinics you serve, or the 30 minutes will be hard to meet.

## What Anthem covers, and the 30 round trips

On top of the rides every Ohio plan must cover, Anthem adds a yearly allowance that is large by Ohio standards. In Ohio's 2027 plan comparison, updated July 1, 2026:

| Plan | Short-trip allowance listed |
|---|---|
| Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield | Up to 30 round trips or 60 one-way trips |
| AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio | Up to 30 round trips or 60 one-way rides for qualifying non-medical trips |
| Humana Healthy Horizons in Ohio | 15 round trips for non-medical trips and 15 round trips to appointments |
| Buckeye, CareSource, Molina, UnitedHealthcare | Up to 15 round trips or 30 one-way trips |

Anthem's 30 round trips cover provider appointments under 30 miles from home, grocery stores, food banks, county caseworker meetings to keep Medicaid, pregnancy classes, and WIC appointments. Anthem's figure is the same in the 2026 comparison, updated September 24, 2025. Its provider manual calls the allowance a supplement to the county ride program, and says that when a member uses it up, Anthem works with the member to move to the county's NET program. See [Ohio county NET contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/ohio-county-net-contracts/) and the county pages for [Franklin](https://nemtguide.com/states/ohio/franklin-county/), [Hamilton](https://nemtguide.com/states/ohio/hamilton-county/), and [Cuyahoga](https://nemtguide.com/states/ohio/cuyahoga-county/).

Anthem's listing in the comparison names no trip types as unlimited on top of the 30, while Molina, CareSource, and three other plans list some. The handbook calls the 30 round trips an addition to the required rides, so necessary wheelchair van rides do not use them up. Before you count on a member's short car trips to dialysis all year, ask MTM how Anthem counts them against the 30.

The allowance comes with a rideshare card, and Anthem's documents describe it three ways. Its transportation page offers a $25 Uber gift card to members 18 and older. Its member handbook says one $25 ride share gift card, and its October 2025 provider manual says one $25 Uber gift card each quarter.

### Families in OhioRISE

For members in OhioRISE, Ohio's program for children with complex behavioral health needs, Anthem's provider manual covers all rides, same-day appointments included, and rides for family members, caregivers, and siblings in the home when the child's treatment needs it, even when the child is not in the vehicle. Expect Anthem trips with a parent and no patient on board; see [behavioral health transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/behavioral-health-transportation/).

## How to get Anthem trips through MTM

Ride companies contract with MTM, not Anthem. MTM's network page says it identifies, recruits, and credentials providers in each of its service areas.

1. **Hold your Ohio credentials.** Carry a PUCO certificate for any paid passenger service. Wheelchair vans need an [ambulette](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/ambulette/) license, a permit per van, and an Ohio Medicaid provider ID, because MTM's application voids Ohio wheelchair applications without an Ohio EMS license and ODM ID.
2. **Send the Letter of Intent.** Choose Ohio, then list the counties you drive every week, each service level you offer, and your vehicles by type. For Anthem's standing rides, name the dialysis and cancer centers you can reach when an MTM representative calls.
3. **Clear credentialing and training.** MTM moves from interview to contract, credentialing, and training before the first trip, and its system stops assigning trips when a credential lapses.
4. **Get Anthem's rules in writing.** Ask how MTM counts the 30 round trips, how will-call returns are sent, and which rate applies to each service level.

Anthem's provider benefits page, as of September 2026, still names Access2Care for rides at 800-282-9720, the number the member page gives for MTM. MTM completed its purchase of Access2Care in October 2024, and access2care.net now opens MTM's site. If your agreement for Anthem trips was signed with Access2Care, ask MTM whether it still applies and whether your files are current. The [MTM Health page](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/) and [MTM Health in Ohio](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/ohio/) cover the rest of MTM's process.

### What Anthem trips pay

Your MTM agreement sets the price. Under Ohio rule 5160-15-28, effective August 1, 2026, a ride given under an arrangement with a Medicaid health plan is paid according to the provider agreement, not the state's fee-for-service maximums, which the [Ohio guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/ohio/) lists. For how plan and broker contracts differ, see [contracting with Medicaid health plans](https://nemtguide.com/guides/contract-with-medicaid-health-plans/).

## Who to call

| For | Contact |
|---|---|
| An Anthem member's ride | MTM, 800-282-9720 (TTY 711) |
| Offices with ride questions | MTM contact in Anthem's provider manual, 888-644-3547 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day |
| Coverage questions | Anthem Member Services, 844-912-0938 (TTY 711), weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Anthem Provider Services | 844-912-1226 (TTY 711), weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Joining the network | MTM's Letter of Intent, linked from mtm-inc.net/driverswanted |
| Rides after the 30 run out | The member's county job and family services office |

Molina's Ohio Medicaid rides also run through MTM, with a smaller allowance but more riders who never hit a limit; see [Molina Ohio transportation](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/molina-healthcare-ohio/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the Anthem Medicaid transportation number in Ohio?

Members call MTM Health at 800-282-9720 (TTY 711) to book, change, or cancel a ride. Routine booking runs weekdays 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern, and the line takes urgent, same-day, and discharge calls 24 hours a day. Coverage questions go to Anthem Member Services at 844-912-0938 (TTY 711), weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

### How far ahead do Anthem Ohio members book rides?

Anthem's transportation page asks for at least two full business days before a routine appointment, and rides can be booked up to 30 days ahead. Repeat dialysis, chemotherapy, and radiation rides can be booked for 90 days at a time. For an urgent visit or a facility discharge, members call the same line any hour, and MTM tries to find a ride.

### How many rides does Anthem Ohio Medicaid cover?

Every necessary wheelchair van and ambulance ride at any distance, and rides to covered care 30 or more miles from home. On top of that, Ohio's 2027 plan comparison lists up to 30 round trips or 60 one-way trips a year under 30 miles, to care, grocery stores, food banks, caseworker meetings, pregnancy classes, and WIC. After that, the county can help.

### Does Anthem Ohio use MTM or Access2Care?

MTM Health. Anthem's member transportation page, member handbook, and October 2025 provider manual all name MTM. Anthem's provider benefits page still names Access2Care at the same 800-282-9720 number, as of September 2026. MTM completed its purchase of Access2Care in October 2024, and access2care.net now opens MTM's website.

### How do I become an Anthem transportation provider in Ohio?

Apply to MTM Health, not to Anthem. Hold your Ohio PUCO certificate first, and for wheelchair vans your ambulette license and Ohio Medicaid provider ID, which MTM requires for Ohio wheelchair applicants. Then send MTM's online Letter of Intent. MTM follows with an interview, a contract, credentialing, and training before your first trip.

### Does Anthem Ohio give members Uber rides?

Anthem's transportation page offers a $25 Uber gift card to members 18 and older, as of September 2026, and its October 2025 provider manual says eligible members get one each quarter. Separately, members who walk on their own can ask MTM for a rideshare ride or a bus pass in place of a car or van.

## Official resources

- [MTM Health: Join the transportation provider network](https://www.mtm-inc.net/driverswanted/)
- [MTM Health: Letter of Intent provider application](https://mtminc.formstack.com/forms/letter_of_intent_2025)
- [Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield: Ohio Medicaid transportation services](https://www.anthem.com/oh/medicaid/benefits/transportation)
- [Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield: Ohio Medicaid provider manual](https://providers.anthem.com/docs/gpp/OH_CAID_ProviderManual.pdf)
- [Ohio Medicaid Consumer Hotline: 2027 health plan comparison](https://ohfiles.blob.core.windows.net/public/OhioMHWebsite/Documents/2027%20Managed%20Care%20Health%20Plan%20Comparison%20Guide.pdf)
- [Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Find your county office](https://jfs.ohio.gov/about/local-agencies-directory)