FNHA Medical Transportation Bulletin
November 2025

Welcome! Wytkp! Gilakas’la! Shhweenustham!

We hope you enjoyed the July issue of the Journeys bulletin.

Thank you for your readership and support as we strive to provide helpful content and updates to support your community’s Medical Transportation (MT) Benefits. We appreciate your partnership in delivering and transforming the MT Benefit.

Watch our YouTube video here to learn more about our transformation journey.

Rate increases effective December 1, 2025

To better support our Clients during medical travel, the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) is updating key components of the MT Benefit. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to improving service quality and responsiveness, and are based on community feedback and current cost trends.

Meal rate updates

As of December 1, 2025, meal rates will be adjusted to reflect rising food costs across British Columbia (BC). These updates aim to ensure Clients have access to healthy meals while on medical travel.

The updated rates are as follows:

Commercial accommodation rate guide

To support Clients in accessing safe and comfortable accommodations while travelling for medical care, the FNHA has updated its commercial accommodation rate guide based on current market prices.

As of December 1, 2025, the updated commercial accommodation guide rates are outlined in the table below:

Please visit our Health Benefits News Webpage and MT Landing Page for more information on the November 2025 changes.

Updated exception requirements

In response to ongoing feedback from PT Clerks, several Exception requirements have been revised. These changes aim to simplify travel arrangements, reduce administrative workload, and improve alignment with related policies under the MT Benefit.

Effective December 1, the following changes will take effect:

1.     Long-term stays

Previously, an Exception was required for all stays over five nights. This has now been updated to apply only to stays of seven nights or more. This change streamlines the travel arrangement process and improves alignment across policies in the MT Benefits Schedule. For example, Clients on medical travel of seven or more nights are eligible for the weekly meal rate and should be booked into accommodations with kitchenette facilities.

Please note that shorter stays may still require an Exception if they fall under another Exception category, such as travel that is not to the closest appropriate health provider.

2.     Preventative screening programs

Exceptions will no longer be required for travel to preventative screening programs, such as mammograms, that are funded by the province or a health authority. This update reduces administrative burden and streamlines the travel approval process, while continuing to support Client’s access to their closest appropriate health provider.

Please note that when services are available within the Client’s community of residence, such as a mobile mammogram clinic, that service should be accessed within the community.

3.     Non-FNHA-funded treatment centres for substance use treatment

Exceptions are no longer required for travel to substance use treatment programs that are licensed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act or registered through the Assisted Living Regulation. This includes facilities listed under:

• Licensed Treatment and Supportive Recovery Services (see list here); and
• Registered Recovery Services (see list here).

This change is intended to streamline administrative processes for those seeking access to treatment, particularly in time-sensitive situations. Information on how to apply for funding toward the cost of attending a non-FNHA-funded treatment centre is available on our website.

4.     Clients travelling for procedures requiring sedation

Exceptions will no longer be required for escort requests when a Client is undergoing surgery or a procedure that involves sedation and will require assistance afterward.

This change is intended to reduce the approval steps for Clients who need support during recovery. Escort requests in these cases may now be approved without an Exception, provided there is written confirmation that the Client will be sedated as part of their medical travel. Please note that if the travel is not to the closest provider, an Exception will still be required. 

All of the above changes will be reflected in the MT Benefits Schedule, which will be posted to the FNHA webpage on December 1, 2025. PT Clerks and Health Leads should also refer to the updated MT Administrator Guide for guidance on assessing eligibility and submitting Exception requests. An updated version of the MT Administrator Guide will be available in the coming weeks, please contact transportation@fnha.ca for a copy.

Kucén: Transforming Benefit Administration

What is Kucén?

Kucén (pronounced koo-hen), meaning "to wander/travel far away/abroad" in Secwepemctsin, is transforming MT Benefit administration for Patient Travel (PT) Clerks. This system streamlines processes, making it easier to manage requests and documentation.

To support interested communities, the MT Project Team has developed a three-step onboarding process that provides personalized guidance and dedicated support at every stage, ensuring a smooth transition to Kucén.

Why Use Kucén?

• No cost to communities and organizations.
• Automates MT log submissions and MT reports to FNHB.
• Provides a searchable directory for medical and travel providers.
• Generates purchase orders, confirmation of attendance slips and more.
• Easily submit Exceptions through the application with no manual forms needed.
• The ability to look up a trip that has already been booked. 

October 1 System Updates

The MT Project Team is committed to continuously improving Kucén based on community feedback. On October 1, several updates were rolled out to enhance usability, security, and clarity in travel management:

• A confirmation pop-up now appears before deleting items, helping prevent accidental loss of data.
• A new “COA Received” trip status clarifies cases where a confirmation of appointment has been submitted without a travel request form or other required documentation, and the Client’s travel arrangements cannot be completed or assessed.
• An arrangement breakdown analysis report is now available under the reports tab, providing a detailed summary of community arrangements to support better tracking.
• A consent checkbox has been added to Client profiles to document permission for email communications:
   

If your community is interested in adopting the new system, contact the MT Project Team at mtproject@fnha.ca.

Kucén users: Take part in our feedback survey!

We want to hear from you! If you have been using the Kucén system, please take a few minutes to complete our Kucén User Feedback Survey. Your insights will help us improve training and refine system features to better support your work. The survey is confidential, and responses will be reviewed by the MT Transformation Project team to guide future improvements. Click here to take the survey.

Training for PT Clerks

The MT Operations team hosts regular training sessions throughout the year. If you would like to attend an MT training session, please contact transportation@fnha.ca to sign up. One of our team members will contact you about training dates and the next steps.

Thank you