How to book Medicaid transportation online in New York

The online portal exists, and most people never hear about it

Every Medicaid ride in New York State is arranged through one broker, Medical Answering Services. Most riders on Long Island learn the phone number and never learn there is another way in. If you want the phone-based process and the full broker overview, start with our MAS Medicaid booking guide. MAS runs a website that takes the same trip requests its contact center does. You create an account once, and MAS says that with it you can create, change and cancel trips at any time of the day or day of the week, without waiting on hold. To open the account MAS asks for your first and last name, email address, cell phone number, Medicaid CIN or Medicaid number, the last four digits of your Social Security number and your birth date. For someone booking appointments from a Suffolk County town around a work schedule, that difference adds up quickly. If you have never located your CIN, our guide to the Medicaid CIN number shows where it sits on the card. If you already have an account and cannot sign in, see what to do when you can't log in to the MAS website.

What to have ready before you start

MAS publishes the details it needs to schedule a trip: your name, phone and email; a contact person's details if someone is helping you; the reason for the appointment; the appointment date and time; your pickup address; the facility address; the type of transportation you need; and the transportation provider, if you have one in mind. Give the facility's full street address, not just the practice name. Be honest about the type of transportation you need: whether you walk unaided, use a cane or walker, or need a vehicle that carries you seated in a wheelchair. The Department of Health says members generally travel the same way they do for daily activities, and when you need a taxi, ambulette or non-emergency ambulance instead, MAS collects a medical necessity form (the "2015 Form") from your medical provider; our guide to Medicaid transportation forms explains it. If your trip is to a hospital campus like Stony Brook University Hospital, note the specific building or clinic, because large campuses have several entrances.

The 72-hour rule applies online too

Submitting through a website does not shorten the notice period. MAS's scheduling guidelines are the same whichever way you book: routine appointments three days ahead, trips by public transit five days ahead, long-distance travel seven days ahead, and urgent or sick visits on the same day. The online form is not a fast lane; it is the same process without the hold music. Our explanation of the Medicaid 72-hour rule covers the exceptions, which include hospital discharges and genuinely urgent care. For those, call: MAS's contact center takes urgent trips and discharges 24 hours a day.

When calling still beats the portal

Use the phone when the trip is unusual, such as a hospital discharge, where the timing moves and someone needs to explain that. Call as well if the website will not take an address or you cannot find the option that fits your trip; a representative can enter the request with you.

Recurring dialysis trips are a separate case, because you do not set up a standing order on the phone or through the member portal. Under the state's Standing Order Policy, only your medical provider's office can enter a standing order, and MAS does not accept one from members, family members, or transportation companies. Ask your dialysis center or doctor's office to request a standing order through MAS. Getting one in place is the single biggest reduction in scheduling effort for a dialysis patient. It lasts up to six months and does not renew on its own, so ask the office to renew it before it ends.

Naming DachiPlus in the request

MAS lists "Transportation Provider (if applicable)" among the details it needs to schedule a trip, so name DachiPlus in your request, the same way you would say it on the phone. If you cannot find where to enter it online, call MAS and ask for DachiPlus by name. MAS first decides the right type of transportation for your trip, then considers your choice of provider among the companies enrolled for that type, so if we have a vehicle free in your area at that time, MAS can assign the trip to us. This matters more than it sounds: without a preference, the trip goes to whichever enrolled provider MAS assigns, and riders who have had a good experience often assume they will get the same company again automatically. Without a stated preference, that choice is left to MAS. If you want the same driver arrangement for recurring dialysis transportation, name us on every request. For dialysis, ask your center to request a standing order through MAS and to list DachiPlus as your preferred transportation provider, so you only have to ask once.

If the request does not go through

Call 1-844-666-6270, explain what happened and ask what is missing; a representative can work through the trip with you. Two things are worth checking before you call. The first is timing: MAS asks for three days' notice for routine appointments and seven for long-distance travel. The second is coverage: Medicaid pays for rides to Medicaid-covered medical services, and rides outside your common medical marketing area need a form from your referring provider. If the appointment simply is not covered, the trip is still available as a private-pay booking through DachiPlus directly, and our page on how private pay works sets out what that costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you book Medicaid transportation online in New York?

Yes. MAS lets Medicaid members create an account at medanswering.com and then create, change and cancel trips online at any time of day, any day of the week. To open the account MAS asks for your name, email address, cell phone number, Medicaid CIN or Medicaid number, the last four digits of your Social Security number and your birth date. The booking guidelines are the same as by phone: MAS asks for three days' notice for routine appointments.

Is the online portal faster than calling MAS?

For a routine, straightforward trip it can be: there is no hold time, and you can submit it at 11 PM. Call instead for anything urgent or a hospital discharge, because MAS's contact center takes those requests 24 hours a day, and call if you are not sure how to describe the trip. Recurring dialysis trips are different: ask your dialysis center or doctor's office to request a standing order through MAS.

Can I request DachiPlus by name when booking online?

Yes, ask for DachiPlus in your request. MAS lists the transportation provider among the details it needs to schedule a trip, the same way you would name it on the phone. If you cannot find where to enter it online, call MAS at 1-844-666-6270 and ask for DachiPlus by name. MAS first decides the right type of transportation for your trip, then considers your choice of provider among the companies enrolled for that type. If we have availability in your area at that time, MAS can assign the trip to us; if not, it goes to another enrolled provider.

What do I need before I start the online request?

MAS lists what it needs to schedule a trip: your name, phone and email; a contact person's details if someone is helping you; the reason for the appointment; the appointment date and time; your pickup address; the facility address; the type of transportation you need; and the transportation provider, if you have one in mind. Have your Medicaid CIN handy as well.

What if my online request does not go through?

Call MAS at 1-844-666-6270 and ask what is missing or what the problem is; a representative can work through the trip with you. Two things to check first: timing, since MAS asks for three days' notice for routine appointments and seven for long-distance travel, and coverage, since Medicaid pays for rides to Medicaid-covered services. If the trip is medically urgent, say so on the call.

Sources

• Medical Answering Services (MAS), the NY Medicaid transportation broker (home page: information needed to schedule a trip)
• MAS: Benefits of an Enrollee Account (what you need to create an account, what it lets you do)
• MAS: FAQ for Enrollees (setting up trips online or by phone, contact center hours)
• MAS: Scheduling Guidelines (how far ahead to book)
• NY State Dept. of Health: Medicaid Transportation Enrollee FAQs (questions 5, 7, 8 and 9)
• Medicaid.gov — Non-Emergency Medical Transportation
• eMedNY: NYS Medicaid Transportation Policy Manual, section 2.3 Prior Authorization, effective August 25, 2023
• NYS DOH: Medicaid Transportation Standing Order Policy and Procedure, effective October 1, 2020 (published by MAS)