Industry news
MediDrive Replaces Transdev as Colorado's Denver Metro NEMT Broker
On July 1, 2026, MediDrive, LLC replaced Transdev Health Solutions as the NEMT broker for Health First Colorado (Colorado Medicaid) in the nine-county Denver metro area. The same day, MediDrive took over approvals for mileage reimbursement, meals, and lodging in all 64 counties. The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) plans to move the other 55 counties to MediDrive next, and it has named January 1, 2027 as the statewide date.
What changed on July 1, 2026
HCPF chose MediDrive to run a single statewide broker model. The broker handles provider credentialing, network management, trip scheduling, and billing and payment. HCPF is making the move in two phases, and phase 1 started July 1, 2026.
| What | Who handles it since July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rides in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties | MediDrive, in place of Transdev |
| Rides in the other 55 counties | Local NEMT providers, who still verify each trip and bill HCPF until the statewide switch |
| Mileage reimbursement, meals, and lodging anywhere in Colorado | Only MediDrive may approve them for trips scheduled on or after July 1, 2026 |
| Out-of-state and specialized in-state trips | Requested online in the MediDrive facility portal at least five business days before travel. HCPF still gives final approval. |
| Hospital discharges and standing orders in the metro area | The MediDrive facility portal and facility support team |
| Member ride line in the metro area | 855-489-4999 (TTY 711), the same toll-free number Transdev used |
Metro members started calling MediDrive on June 15, 2026 for appointments on or after July 1. HCPF said MediDrive would try to move rides already booked with Transdev into its own system, and it asked members to call MediDrive to confirm theirs. Out-of-state requests now need an online form, a letter of medical necessity, recent clinical notes, and a prior authorization for the treatment when one is required. See NEMT standing orders for how recurring trips work.
Who it affects
Providers in the nine metro counties
Metro providers are set up as “Performer Only” in interChange, the state claims system. They cannot bill HCPF, so every claim goes through the broker. Since July 1, 2026, MediDrive cannot assign a metro trip to a provider it has not contracted.
- Use the same identity. Contract under the exact business name and NPI/Medicaid ID you used to enroll with Health First Colorado. HCPF’s August 2026 bulletin says not to use a “doing business as” name.
- One application per company. MediDrive then contacts you to finish contracting.
- Check your rosters. HCPF moved Transdev driver and vehicle rosters to MediDrive. Before you apply, verify and correct them in ProCredEx, the credentialing system, and keep insurance active the whole time.
- Current credentials only. Contracting opened May 1, 2026, but only for Transdev network and waitlist providers whose credentialing and revalidation were up to date. Others must wait for the enrollment moratorium to end.
Providers in the other 55 counties
These providers are “Biller and Performer”: they get trip requests, verify them under HCPF OM 25-066, and bill HCPF directly. That continues until the statewide go-live. On that date, HCPF changes their billing status to Performer Only. You can bill HCPF for trips before go-live, but not for any trip on or after it.
After go-live, MediDrive schedules and pays every NEMT trip in the state. A provider without a MediDrive contract stays enrolled with Health First Colorado but gets no trips. HCPF says there is no cap on how many qualified providers can contract, and no hard deadline to finish. HCPF’s May 7, 2026 memo set September 1, 2026, or a later date HCPF announces, as the start of contracting for these providers. HCPF and MediDrive scheduled a webinar for them on September 15, 2026.
New providers
HCPF’s moratorium on new NEMT provider enrollments has been in effect since October 1, 2023, and was extended through September 30, 2026. Once it lifts, a new company enrolls with HCPF as NEMT provider type 73, then contracts with MediDrive. New providers start as Performer Only, and they can serve the 55 counties outside the metro area only after statewide go-live. See Medicaid enrollment moratoriums.
When statewide service starts
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 1, 2023 | Moratorium on new NEMT provider enrollments begins |
| May 1, 2026 | Transdev network providers begin contracting with MediDrive |
| May 7, 2026 | HCPF issues OM 26-029, the transition plan |
| June 15, 2026 | Metro members start calling MediDrive for appointments on or after July 1 |
| July 1, 2026 | MediDrive takes over the nine metro counties and statewide mileage, meals, and lodging approvals |
| September 1, 2026 | Planned start of contracting for providers in the other 55 counties |
| September 15, 2026 | HCPF and MediDrive webinar for providers in the 55 counties |
| September 30, 2026 | Moratorium on new enrollments set to end |
| October 1, 2026 | The enrollment date named in HCPF’s webinar notice, the day after the moratorium is set to end |
| January 1, 2027 | Statewide implementation: MediDrive schedules and pays every NEMT trip |
HCPF’s May memo said the rest of the state would follow no earlier than fall 2026, and its July and August 2026 bulletins said “fall 2026”. HCPF’s notice for its September 15, 2026 webinar names January 1, 2027 as the statewide implementation date. Health First Colorado’s member page still says the statewide rollout comes “later in 2026”. It tells members outside the metro area to keep using their local provider until they get a letter about the change.
Since August 1, 2021, members outside the nine metro counties have booked rides directly with local providers. HCPF plans to move all 55 counties on the same day. Its memo explains why: interChange sets billing rights by the county of a provider’s service location, not by where it drives. A county-by-county rollout would leave some providers billing HCPF for some trips and the broker for others, with no way to split it.
What MediDrive requires
HCPF’s memo and MediDrive’s provider page list what every provider uploads to contract with MediDrive:
| Item | What to have ready |
|---|---|
| Company | Ownership documents, general liability insurance, W-9, the counties you serve, your Health First Colorado Medicaid ID, and your NPI |
| Each driver | Driver’s license, motor vehicle record for the current year plus two, 10-panel drug screen within 30 days, federal criminal background check within 30 days, FBI fingerprint check, OIG and SAM exclusion checks, first aid and CPR, third-party defensive driving, passenger assistance safety and sensitivity (PASS) training, and wheelchair securement for wheelchair service |
| Each vehicle | Registration and ownership records, insurance, a broker safety inspection, and an ASE inspection for every wheelchair vehicle and for ambulatory vehicles 5 years or older |
| Equipment | A tablet or other device for each driver or vehicle that works with MediDrive’s trip system, plus video and audio recording cameras. MediDrive supplies the software, not the hardware. |
MediDrive’s own list adds a national sex offender check and workers’ compensation. Ambulance providers certified or licensed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment do not need driver and vehicle rosters. For the camera rule behind the equipment line, see Colorado’s NEMT video camera law.
MediDrive lists these auto liability minimums, citing Colorado rule 10 CCR 2505-10 8.014.3.b.6.e. The insurance carrier must be rated A or better.
| Coverage | Company vehicles | Drivers’ personal vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury | $300,000 per person, $600,000 per accident | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
| Property damage | $50,000 | $15,000 |
MediDrive says it pays invoiced trips every two weeks. HCPF says NEMT rates are on its NEMT fee schedule, and that MediDrive submits the claims for providers in its network. Our broker credentialing guide covers how to prepare a clean file.
Rates that changed the same day
HCPF also cut NEMT rates on July 1, 2026. Its June 2026 bulletin set the taxi and ambulatory van base rate at $12.40 a trip. The same bulletin set taxi, ambulatory van, and wheelchair van mileage at $2.80 a mile. A separate 2.0 percent across-the-board cut applies to most Health First Colorado rates for dates of service from July 1, 2026, subject to CMS approval. NEMT is not on the list of services exempt from it. HCPF’s NEMT fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 includes both cuts.
| Code | Service | Before July 1, 2026 | From July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0100 | Taxicab base rate, one way | $36.40 | $12.15 |
| A0120 | Mobility or ambulatory van base rate, one way | $36.40 | $12.15 |
| S0215 | Taxi and ambulatory van mileage, per mile | $3.00 | $2.74 |
| A0130 | Wheelchair van base rate, one way | $34.84 | $34.14 |
| A0130-U9 | XL or bariatric wheelchair van base rate, one way, with two attendants | $65.00 | $63.70 |
| S0209 | Wheelchair van mileage, per mile | $3.00 | $2.74 |
| T2005 | Stretcher van base rate, one way | $50.43 | $49.42 |
| T2049 | Stretcher van mileage, per mile | $1.90 | $1.86 |
The taxi and ambulatory van base rate fell by about two thirds. Wheelchair and stretcher van base rates fell 2 percent.
For one ambulatory leg with 10 billed miles, base plus mileage now comes to $39.55, against $66.40 before. The cut followed a state budget review in which Joint Budget Committee staff reported that Medicaid NEMT spending grew from $70 million in fiscal year 2021-22 to $303 million in fiscal year 2023-24. Rerun your cost per trip with the trip price calculator, and see NEMT reimbursement rates for how rates are set.
What providers should do now
- Metro providers: confirm your contract is complete. Trips cannot be assigned until it is. Call MediDrive Colorado provider relations at 720-844-9615.
- Providers in the other 55 counties: contract before go-live. HCPF’s memo set contracting for your area to start September 1, 2026, or when HCPF tells you your phase has begun. Apply at medidrive.com/providers/join/company?state=CO under your exact enrolled name and NPI. If you are not sure your area is open, email NEMT@state.co.us. Do not wait for January 1, 2027.
- Buy the equipment early. Budget a compatible tablet for each driver or vehicle, plus video and audio cameras. MediDrive helps connect the tablets to its trip system before go-live.
- Keep rosters current in ProCredEx. Expired licenses, insurance, or inspections hold up contracting.
- Plan your last direct claims. Outside the metro area, bill HCPF for every trip before go-live. Trips on or after it can only be billed through MediDrive.
- Tell your facilities. Discharges, standing orders, and out-of-state requests go through the MediDrive facility portal.
- Watch for HCPF’s notices. HCPF shares transition news by email, in its monthly provider bulletin, and on its NEMT page. Keep your contact details current in the Gainwell provider portal, where HCPF sends direct updates.
For the full switch checklist, see when your state changes NEMT brokers. Our Colorado state guide covers licensing and vehicle rules.
Who to contact
- MediDrive Colorado provider relations (24/7): 720-844-9615
- MediDrive technical support: 703-952-3036, techsupport@medidrive.com
- MediDrive facility support: 720-452-3025, facilityco@medidrive.com
- MediDrive member rides: 855-489-4999 (TTY 711)
- HCPF NEMT team: NEMT@state.co.us