Help Medicaid Patients Keep Appointments With Free Rides

If your Medicaid patient has trouble keeping his or her appointments with your office due to lack of transportation or gas money, be sure the patient knows how to seek help from Medicaid.

Medicaid patients who need a ride to a doctor's office – or dentist's office, hospital, drug store, or any place they get Medicaid services – can call the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's Medical Transportation Program for a ride toll-free (generally two days advance notice is needed): 

  • In the Houston-Beaumont area, (855) 687-4786;
  • In the Dallas area, (855) 687-3255; and
  • For everyone else, (877) 633-8747 (877-MED-TRIP).

Children aged 15 and older can travel without an adult if their parent or guardian has filled out a consent form before setting up the trip. Also, Medicaid will help pay if the patient can find someone to drive him or her to the appointment, the driver completes an application, and the Medicaid Transportation Program approves the trip in advance.

Revised Dec. 11, 2019  

TMA Practice E-Tips main page

Last Updated On

December 11, 2019

Originally Published On

June 10, 2014