Health Plan Announces New Contract with Call the Car
LOS ANGELES – L.A. Care Health Plan announced today that it has contracted with a new transportation vendor, Call the Car. Call the Car was founded by a doctor and firefighter in 2010, and its goal is to serve as an extension of the healthcare team striving for better outcomes.
"L.A. Care is committed to providing members a safe and comfortable ride to important appointments that will keep them healthy," said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. "A transportation company whose leaders have health care backgrounds will help ensure that."
As a vital social determinant of health, adequate and reliable transportation service is fundamental to healthy communities. Individuals struggling with access to transportation are much more likely to miss medical appointments and, as a result, experience poor health outcomes. Transportation to and from medical and other eligible appointments is a benefit all L.A. Care Medi-Cal and Cal MediConnect members receive at no cost.
Call the Car has a new fleet of vehicles to ensure L.A. Care members receive high-quality transportation that meets each member's need. The fleet includes a number of Mercedes Metris vans and larger Mercedes Sprinter vans known for their safety and reliability. The vans comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and all include industry leading safety features in addition to highly trained Call the Car drivers.
The fleet will also include Honda Accord Hybrids which are environment friendly vehicles. All of the vehicles have received the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's highest overall rating, and the highest ratings for front and side crashes, and rollovers. These hybrids also offer the advantage of being fuel efficient green technology vehicles.
L.A. Care will ultimately have 100 branded Call the Car vehicles serving only L.A. Care members.