What is an ATMS in NEMT?
In NEMT, an ATMS is transportation management software that a broker accepts for exchanging trip data with its own system. Colorado's Medicaid agency spells it Approved Transportation Management System and lists ATMS integration as a MediDrive onboarding step. New York's GPS rules write advanced transportation management system and treat it as a third-party intermediary: software that handles GPS, billing, routing, and dispatch.
On this page
What ATMS means
The two expansions describe the same idea. Your dispatch software exchanges data with the broker’s system, so trips, statuses, GPS points, and billing move without anyone retyping them. The broker has checked that the software sends data in the format it needs.
Brokers care because GPS and status data are how they confirm each trip happened as approved. New York shows how far that goes.
New York’s GPS rule
Since April 3, 2023, New York has required every Medicaid transportation provider to be fully GPS compliant. For each trip, the provider sends the broker the start point, the end point, and every GPS coordinate along the way, which MAS calls breadcrumb data.
The data then decides whether you get paid:
- Bad formatting stops the prior authorization for that trip from being issued.
- A mismatch with the approved pickup, drop-off, or mileage on the trip invoice keeps the attestation from producing an authorization.
- Every event counts. MAS expects providers to record each step in real time, by hand or with geofencing: en route, at pickup, trip start, and trip complete.
Dead zones and dead batteries get limited sympathy. MAS will consider connectivity claims, but it expects them to be rare, and GPS data can be sent during or after the trip when the problem was outside the provider’s control. The trip authorization number entry explains what happens after attestation.
What brokers offer providers
| Broker | What a provider can use |
|---|---|
| MAS (New York) | A compliant TPI or ATMS, or the free GPS app from MAS |
| Modivcare | WellRyde dispatch software at no or reduced cost for Modivcare trips. Modivcare also integrates with a range of outside dispatch systems. |
| MTM Health | The MTM Link Provider Portal and Driver App, or an API connection that sends trips into the provider’s own dispatch software. MTM calls approved outside software routing, scheduling, and dispatching (RSD) software. |
| MediDrive (Colorado) | MediDrive’s own software on a compatible device the provider buys for each vehicle, integrated with MediDrive’s trip system. Colorado’s onboarding checklist includes ATMS integration. |
Before you choose one
Three checks save trouble later:
- Which brokers accept it. Ask each broker directly. MAS keeps its own list of compliant TPIs and ATMS vendors.
- Whether it sends data in the broker’s format. In New York, a badly formatted GPS record stops the trip’s authorization, and the provider, not the vendor, answers for the format.
- Whether its trip logs meet the broker’s rules. MTM accepts approved RSD software for trip logs, but its Rhode Island handbook still tells providers to check every log before claiming and to keep paper logs as a backup.
An example
Imagine a New York ambulette company running 30 Medicaid trips a day. It uses an ATMS instead of the free GPS app because it also wants routing and billing in one place. Drivers record each event in the ATMS as it happens, from en route to trip complete, and the GPS trail goes to MAS with the attestation. When a driver’s phone dies mid-trip, the dispatcher sends the GPS data after the trip, which MAS allows when the problem was outside the provider’s control.
ATMS vs nearby terms
- Broker portal or app: the broker’s own system, such as WellRyde or MediDrive’s software. You work inside it rather than connecting to it.
- Third-party intermediary (TPI): New York’s other name for an ATMS.
- RSD software: MTM Health’s name for approved routing, scheduling, and dispatching software. Its Rhode Island handbook says RSD tools meet trip log rules by syncing electronic trip logs and member signatures.
- NEMT software: any dispatch system. An ATMS is one that a specific broker accepts. See what NEMT software is and how to choose NEMT software.
For where HealthRide stands with individual brokers, see broker connections.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need an ATMS to work with a broker?
- Not always. In New York, providers who do not use an ATMS can get a free GPS app from MAS that meets the minimum GPS rules. Modivcare offers its own dispatch software, WellRyde, at no or reduced cost for Modivcare trips. Colorado's MediDrive supplies the software but requires providers to buy compatible devices.
- How do I check whether my software works with MAS?
- Ask MAS transportation provider relations at TPrelations@medanswering.com. MAS keeps the list of third-party intermediaries and ATMS vendors that are compliant with its system, and its outreach team works with providers and vendors to fix GPS formatting problems.
- Is an ATMS the same as a third-party intermediary?
- In New York, yes. MAS uses third-party intermediary (TPI) and advanced transportation management system (ATMS) interchangeably for the software company that provides GPS, billing, routing, and dispatch functions to a transportation provider.
