FNHA Medical Transportation Bulletin
July 2025

Welcome! Wytkp! Gilakas’la! Shhweenustham!

We hope you enjoyed the May 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.

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. Your responses are confidential and anonymous, and the MT Transformation Project team will carefully review them to guide future improvements.

Click here to take the survey.

Summer accommodation rates

With the high season underway, hotel prices are rising across the province, particularly in Vancouver. When booking, we recommend always asking about a hotel’s medical rate. However, some hotels may not offer discounted rates during the busy summer months.

The MT Benefits Schedule provides a seasonal guide to support accommodation planning by providing guidance on reasonable rates. This table is intended to be a reference, and we understand that hotel prices may vary depending on availability, location, and specific room requirements, e.g. a kitchenette or wheelchair accessibility.

If you're having difficulty finding accommodations within the listed rates, we encourage you to explore all available options that suit your community member’s needs. For those without a personal vehicle, taxi coverage may be provided to assist with their transportation.

Health Benefits’ MT Operations team is also here to help and can provide booking suggestions at 1-855-550-5454.

Simplify bookings with standing accounts

Given the challenges of booking affordable accommodations during the summer, setting up standing accounts with hotels and other providers can be a practical solution. A standing account is a direct billing arrangement that allows you to book hotels, taxis, or flights without paying upfront each time. The charges get billed directly to your account, streamlining the booking process and saving you time and effort.

Why use a standing account?

• Faster bookings with pre-saved contact and billing information.
• Easier check-ins for Clients (typically no credit card required).
• Access to a broader range of options. For example, setting up a standing account with one hotel often lets you book at any of their locations across BC.

How do I set up a standing account?

You will need to contact the provider directly (e.g. the hotel) to set up a standing account, as the process varies slightly by company. They will guide you through the process, which typically involves sharing your contact information and billing details. For help or recommendations on which hotels to use, you can reach out to MT Operations.

Kucén: Transforming MT 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.

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.
• Submit exceptions easily through the application.
• Provides the ability to look up a trip that has already been booked. 

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.

If your community is interested in adopting the Kucén system or if you’d like to learn more, please reach out to us at mtproject@fnha.ca.

Reminder: Updated MT mileage rates

As of April 1, 2025, MT mileage rates have permanently increased to reflect rising fuel costs. MT mileage rates are now as follows:

*for remote communities, as specified in their Funding Agreements.

You can view the full history of mileage rate changes here.

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