We hope you enjoyed the first edition of the Journeys bulletin. We will continue to bring you updates related to the Medical Transportation (MT) Program and Transformation Project, as well as additional information to make your experience with booking patient travel easier and more efficient.

Temporary MT Mileage Rate Increase

Gas prices across British Columbia have increased significantly in recent weeks. These increases may impact some client’s ability to access medically necessary appointments when using their private vehicle.

FNHA’s Health Benefits program is implementing a temporary mileage rate increase of $0.05 per kilometer for the Medical Transportation (MT) benefit to support clients during these exceptional times. Effective March 1, 2022, the standard mileage rate will increase from $0.23 to $0.28 per kilometer. These changes will be in effective until May 30, 2022. The $0.05 increase will also apply to the special mileage rate applicable to certain remote communities.

We will continue to monitor regional and provincial gas prices and may make further adjustments in response to this rapidly changing situation.

FNHA will ensure that all communities delivering MT locally through a Funding Agreement receive additional funding necessary to support the increased mileage rate. FNHA will follow up with all agreement holders regarding the mileage rate increases.

Engagement Events Informing the Transformation Project

FNHA launched the MT Transformation Project as a multi-year initiative to improve the MT Benefit program. Through this project we aim to support First Nations clients in their health and wellness journeys by improving access to health services outside their community of residence and bringing services closer to home.

From October 2021 to January 2022, FNHA hosted nine engagements sessions with Community health leads from all over BC. Health leads were engaged on MT topics identified through a survey conducted in May 2021.

In the engagement sessions, discussed was focused on the following topics:

1. Community-driven decision making & travel planning
2. Access to culturally safe, timely, and high-quality service providers
3. Arranging transportation from remote and rural communities
4. Access to in-community medical service providers
5. Benefits exceptions and appeals
6. Budgeting and funding agreements
7. Booking travel and accommodation
8. Program administration and training
9. Access for urban and away from home members
10. Access to virtual health services

First Nations Health Benefits would like to extend gratitude to health leads for attending the Medical Transportation engagement session series and for their time commitment and thoughtful comments and dialogue that was shared. As many as 55 community health leads participated in the sessions.

FNHA will issue a Medical Transportation Engagement Report that provides a summary of engagement activities and feedback. The report will be available to all communities and will be released in April 2022. We will use the engagement session feedback to inform MT transformation activities and as a basis for future monitoring and reporting. 

Medical Transportation User Group

As part of the MT Transformation, FNHA is working with Bright Health Solutions to develop a web-based MT administrative system for booking patient travel.

FNHA is interested in collaborating with experienced PT Clerks through the newly formed MT User Group. The group will provide FNHA with input and feedback for the development of the web-based MT administrative system.

If you are interested in participating, please email mtproject@fnha.ca.

COVID-19 Vaccinations and Medical Travel

COVID-19 continues to impact medical travel across BC. Here is what you need to know when booking medical travel:

• Full proof of vaccination will be required for travelling members (12 years or older) if they are departing from a federally regulated terminal or dock.
• Vaccine passport checks can add time and stress to medical travel. Encourage your travelling members to carry their Canadian COVID-19 (different from Provincial) proof of vaccination record and to arrive early.
• There are no vaccination requirements to board BC Ferries, travel by air ambulance (BCEHS), or in medevac situations.
• Call hotels before booking, if possible, as they have may have their own vaccination requirements. 

Tips for Patient Travel Clerks: Booking Accommodation

Booking safe and comfortable accommodation is an important part of arranging medical travel. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind when booking accommodation:

• Look for accommodation once the travelling client has confirmed medical appointment dates.
• Try to book accommodation closer to the travelling members’ medical appointment location.
• To help ensure medical travel accommodation is the efficient and economical, the rates below should be used to inform appropriate accommodation rates:

• There is an online list of Medical Transportation accommodation options, organized by city and municipality. The list includes BC hotels that have special rates for medical travel.
• Medical travel stays greater than five nights require an Exception to be submitted and approved by FNHA. For these longer stays, PT Clerks should try to find accommodations with a kitchenette to support meal preparation.

If you have questions about any of the above suggestions, please contact mary.legge@fnha.ca for support.

Training for PT Clerks

FNHA continues to offer virtual MT training sessions for PT Clerks via ZOOM. Sessions are delivered monthly. To register for an upcoming session, please contact Mary Legge at mary.legge@fnha.ca.