FNHA Medical Transportation Bulletin
March 2024  |  Vol 03 |  No 2

Welcome! Wytkp! Gilakas’la! Shhweenustham!

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

Journeys is now in its third year! Thank you for your readership as we strive to provide helpful content and updates for your community's Medical Transportation (MT) program. The First Nations Health Benefits and Services (FNHBS) team appreciates your partnership in delivering and transforming the MT Benefit.

Watch our YouTube video here to learn more about the MT Transformation Journey and our progress so far.

Exciting MT Benefit updates ahead! 

Exciting changes are on the horizon. Thanks to the ongoing community engagement driven by the MT Transformation Project and technical advice from the First Nations Health Directors Association, we've gained invaluable insights into our Clients' needs. In response, FNHBS will be introducing significant changes to MT Benefits on April 1, 2024, which include:

• Updated escort coverage to support low-barrier access to medically necessary services for Clients ages 65 and above;
• Updated escort coverage for Clients travelling to substance use treatment centres to recognize and support the unique needs of Clients seeking treatment; 
• Increased private accommodation rates to ensure that Clients continue to have access to a range of accommodation options when receiving medical care;
• Adjustments to temporary and standard mileage rates to align with current gas prices; and
• Introduction of hospital parking benefits to alleviate the financial burden associated with parking fees during medical visits.

We will announce all updates regarding the changes taking place on April 1, 2024, on our MT webpage, Health Benefits News webpage and our Facebook page.

Kucén: transforming MT Benefit administration

Experience enhanced benefit administration with Kucén (pronounced koo-hen), which means “to wander/travel far away/abroad” in Secwepemctsin, the language of the Secwepemc people, from the Interior Salish language family. Kucén marks a significant advancement in our commitment to streamlining processes and creating a simple, easy-to-use MT administration system.  

Some key features include:

✔     Check Client eligibility;

✔     Generate travel documents;

✔     Create and view trips generated by other organizations;

✔     Access to medical and travel provider information; and

✔     Automated reporting, eliminating the need for MT Log submissions.

Kucén is currently being used by MT Operations and six First Nation organizations. With its capacity to organize Client trips and automatically submit reports to FNHBS, Kucén has streamlined processing over 6,500 MT requests since April 2023; firmly establishing itself as an essential tool for MT benefit administrators. Three additional communities are currently being onboarded with Kucén, and a large organization is undergoing initial system training with the MT Project Team.

Recent system updates have enabled benefit administrators to generate email summaries for their Clients, including detailed travel breakdowns. An upcoming update in Summer 2024 will simplify the Exceptions process, allowing all Kucén users to submit requests electronically.

If your Community is interested in adopting the new system, please participate in our Kucén Survey or contact us at mtproject@fnha.ca.

 Tip of the Month: the Exceptions process

Specific travel requests must be submitted as an Exception for review by MT Operations. These include requests that are not defined as a benefit, as well as those needed for tracking purposes, such as stays over five days or medical birthing requests. For a list of requests that require an Exception, please refer to Section 4 of the MT Benefits Schedule. If you are unsure whether or not a request should be submitted or need access to the Exceptions form, please get in touch with MT Operations at 1-855-550-5454.

All Exception submissions must include the following documentation:

• A completed Exception form;
• Copy of doctor’s referral (if applicable);
• Confirmation of specialist appointment dates and times;
• Physician escort request form (if required); and
• Any additional supporting documentation that may justify the exceptional need.

Providing additional background information you have regarding the request is also helpful, as it often assists with the adjudication process.

Exceptions must be sent to MT Operations by fax (1-604-666-0292) or email at transportation@fnha.ca. Requests are reviewed individually, with a typical response time of one business day.

If an urgent decision is required, you may contact the Exceptions Team on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1-855-550-5454. Please note that documentation is still required in urgent cases.

Explore our new Health Benefits factsheets

We have launched our new factsheets for each benefit area, offering Clients an overview of their Health Benefits plan. You can access the factsheets on the FNHA website here.

We encourage you to share these resources with your community members, ensuring everyone knows about their plan, who to contact for questions, and how to access their benefits.

MT training for patient travel clerks

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

Print-friendly version of Journeys

In response to feedback from our Journeys survey, a print-friendly version of the monthly newsletter is now available. This will allow you to distribute Journeys among colleagues and other benefit administrators as needed.

All previous editions of our Journeys newsletter can be accessed on the MT Project page, and each edition will now also feature a dedicated PDF link.

Thank you