Ride to Dialysis Critical to Member with Kidney Disease

Reliable transportation can be a significant barrier to good health, especially for older Americans who spend up to three weeks a year traveling to healthcare appointments outside their home.

Transportation to medical appointments, a benefit not covered in Original Medicare, is one reason 31 million Medicare beneficiaries opt for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. In comparison, many MA plans offer coverage for non-emergency transportation services, including medical appointments, therapy visits or other health-related trips. 

For Joaquin, a 75-year-old Humana MA member in Florida, transportation to dialysis could be lifesaving. Joaquin had recently been hospitalized for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and needed a special type of ambulance transport—a service that may not be available with all plans and requires referral from the patient’s primary care provider and prior authorization approval—to get to his dialysis appointment. Otherwise, he risked going back to the hospital. 

Looking for assistance, Joaquin’s caregiver and wife, Jacqueline, called Humana’s Nurse Advice Line and spoke with Brooke, a Humana care manager. Brooke successfully connected Joaquin to an in-network ambulance service. At Joaquin’s request, Brooke helped arrange for transportation that same day, so he did not miss his appointment. Finally, Brooke also helped Joaquin learn how to schedule future trips. 

“We felt lost and helpless and didn’t know where to turn, and to find out we had a resource to call at Humana was so helpful,” said Jacqueline. “Three months later, Joaquin is feeling much better. He can walk down the stairs from our apartment, and I drive him to dialysis in our vehicle now.”

The transportation benefit that allowed Joaquin to go to his dialysis appointments when he wasn’t able to go alone helped him to get back on his feet and get back to pursuing his best health.

Learn more about transportation options for members, including special benefits for those living with end-stage kidney disease. 

Humana is a Medicare Advantage PPO organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends upon contract renewal.

Access to the Humana Nurse Advice Line is not a plan benefit available to all members.

Out-of-network/non-contracted providers are under no obligation to treat Plan members, except in emergency situations. Please call our customer service number or see your Evidence of Coverage for more information, including the cost-sharing that applies to out-of-network services. 

Your results may vary. It may not be typical to improve health conditions by taking the actions Joaquin did.