By Nick Hoffmeyer, Head of Marketing at Bambi · Updated September 28, 2026 · 9 min read
Reviewed by Howard F. Berkowitz, a non-emergency medical transportation and paratransit expert with 30+ years in the industry (H&S Consulting).
A medical answering service (MAS) is a Medicaid-contracted broker that manages non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) for a state or region. MAS schedules trips, verifies rider eligibility, assigns rides to approved transportation providers, and monitors compliance. In New York, Medical Answering Services LLC has coordinated trips statewide since August 2023.
What Is a Medical Answering Service (MAS)?
"Medical answering service" describes two related things, and mixing them up is where most of the confusion starts. As a general term, it's any Medicaid-contracted call center and scheduling operation that connects members to non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). As a proper noun, MAS is a specific company, Medical Answering Services LLC, the transportation manager the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) uses to run Medicaid NEMT across all ten regions of the state.
Either way, MAS is a broker, not software and not a transportation provider. It sits between the state Medicaid program, the rider, and the NEMT company that actually shows up and drives. Providers don't get paid by riders. They get assigned trips by MAS and bill Medicaid through that relationship.
What Does MAS Do? Services Offered in Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT)
Services offered by a medical answering service fall into four buckets: scheduling, eligibility, compliance, and billing oversight.
Trip scheduling and coordination. MAS takes trip requests by phone or through its member portal and matches each one to a transportation provider using the most appropriate and cost-effective mode available, from ambulatory sedans to wheelchair vans. New York members are asked to request rides at least 72 hours ahead, and every trip needs prior approval from the transportation manager (Source: NY State Department of Health).
Eligibility verification. Before a provider gets paid, MAS confirms the rider's Medicaid eligibility and checks that the ride is medically necessary. Providers keep their own records straight too, since an outdated Transportation Provider Profile (TPP) is one of the fastest ways to get an invoice rejected.
Compliance monitoring. MAS tracks driver certifications, background checks, vehicle registrations, and insurance on file for every provider in its network. Traffic violations logged during a Medicaid trip get reported to NYSDOH and can trigger a Corrective Action Plan, a fine, or worse.
Billing and administrative oversight. MAS handles the paperwork layer between what a provider did and what Medicaid pays for it, including monitoring documentation that supports each claim.
MAS and Medicaid: How the Broker Relationship Works
MAS is Medicaid's contracted transportation manager, not a Medicaid program itself. NYSDOH pays MAS to run the call centers, utilization review, and administrative functions so individual counties don't have to.
Coverage is split into two operating regions with separate contact lines: downstate (New York City, Long Island, and the lower Hudson Valley) and upstate (the rest of the state). Members can call their regional line directly or set up an account at MAS's official portal, medanswering.com, to request rides online.
Nationally, Medicaid spends billions of dollars a year on NEMT, and many enrollees rely on it. That funding is exactly why the broker relationship matters to providers. Getting into MAS's rotation is a direct line to steady, Medicaid-backed trip volume.
How MAS Assigns Trips to NEMT Providers
MAS assigns Medicaid trips in a set order of priority: the enrollee's preferred vendor first, the medical practitioner's recommendation second, and a rotation system last, designed to spread volume fairly across the network.
Being enrolled as a Medicaid transportation provider does not guarantee trips. Providers who show up reliably, keep their TPP current, and build a track record with MAS coordinators tend to move up the informal pecking order faster than providers who treat enrollment as a set-and-forget checkbox.
The MAS Portal and Provider Enrollment
Riders use the member portal at medanswering.com to create an account, request trips, and track ride status. Transportation companies go through a separate path: a "Become a Provider" enrollment process, Medicaid revalidation, and ongoing contact with MAS's Transportation Provider Relations team for questions about enrollment or trip assignment.
Providers also lean on New York's eMedNY system for the Transportation Provider Manual and fee schedule, the documents that spell out billing codes, rates, and documentation requirements MAS and NYSDOH expect on every claim.
Working With MAS: What Actually Moves the Needle
Providers who get more trips from MAS tend to do the same handful of things well.
- Use technology, not memory. Automated scheduling with real-time GPS tracking catches delays before they become missed pickups.
- Give MAS one place to reach you. A dedicated support line or portal for status checks builds trust faster than routing every question through dispatch.
- Ask for the numbers. Regular reviews of on-time performance and complaint history tell you where you actually stand.
- Report proactively. Sharing trip, delay, and performance data before MAS asks for it signals a provider worth prioritizing.
- Keep credentials current. Driver certifications, vehicle registrations, and TPP details need to stay accurate between renewals, not just at renewal time.
- Stay flexible. Off-hours availability and specialized vehicle options (stretcher, bariatric, wheelchair) fill gaps other providers can't.
This is the same ground Bambi's broker integrations are built for: keeping broker-facing data, trip status, and compliance records in one place instead of chasing them across spreadsheets and phone calls.
Automated Medical Answering Services: Where AI and Real-Time Tracking Fit
"Automated medical answering services" usually refers to the software layer NEMT providers run alongside a broker relationship, not MAS itself. MAS assigns the trip. What happens after that assignment, how it gets routed, tracked, and billed, is where automation earns its keep.
AI-powered dispatch looks at driver availability, vehicle capacity, and geography to suggest efficient trip assignments. Bambi's AI scheduling, built around the one-click "Run Bambi Run" button, works this way: one click assigns the day's trips across your fleet.
Real-time GPS tracking closes the loop. Automated notifications keep riders and facilities updated during delays, and the resulting data, on-time rates, patient feedback, documentation trails, is exactly what a provider needs on hand when MAS asks for it.
Benefits and Challenges of Partnering with MAS
- Steady Medicaid-backed trip volume: Challenge: Payment can lag behind the trip; How Providers Handle It: Keep TPP and documentation clean so claims don't stall in review
- Access to a broader patient network: Challenge: Complex, detailed documentation; How Providers Handle It: Automate eligibility checks and claim records instead of tracking them by hand
- Reduced admin load from centralized scheduling: Challenge: Communication gaps with coordinators; How Providers Handle It: Set up one dedicated line or portal for MAS status checks
- Support staying compliant with Medicaid rules: Challenge: Rates and rules vary by program; How Providers Handle It: Stay current on TPP and provider manual updates
- Fewer missed appointments via better rider communication: Challenge: Manual billing errors; How Providers Handle It: Use NEMT software that automates trip tracking and billing
FAQ
What is a medical answering service (MAS)? A medical answering service is a Medicaid-contracted broker that schedules non-emergency medical transportation, verifies rider eligibility, and oversees compliance for the transportation providers in its network. In New York, this role belongs to Medical Answering Services LLC, working under NYSDOH.
Is MAS a broker or a piece of NEMT software? MAS is a broker, not software. It assigns trips and manages compliance on behalf of Medicaid. NEMT providers still need their own dispatch and routing software, like Bambi, to run the trips MAS sends their way.
How does MAS decide which provider gets a trip? MAS assigns trips in order: the enrollee's preferred vendor first, then the practitioner's recommendation, then a rotation among enrolled providers. Being Medicaid-enrolled doesn't guarantee volume; consistency and clean records do.
Do all states use a medical answering service like New York's? No. MAS specifically refers to New York's Medicaid transportation manager. Other states use different Medicaid NEMT brokers, such as Modivcare, MTM, or Alivi, with their own portals and rules.
How do NEMT providers get paid when MAS assigns the trip? Providers bill Medicaid, not the rider, following the rates and documentation rules in the state's Transportation Provider Manual. MAS's role is verifying eligibility and compliance on the front end so those claims can move through review.
What happens if a provider falls out of compliance with MAS? Consequences scale with severity, from a Corrective Action Plan to loss of reimbursement, contract termination, or referral for legal action if rider safety is involved.
About the author
Nick Hoffmeyer is Head of Marketing at Bambi, the AI-powered dispatch and scheduling platform for non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) providers. He leads Bambi's growth, SEO, and content strategy and works with NEMT owner-operators every day on the systems that help fleets run more trips with less stress. Connect with Nick on LinkedIn.
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