How to become a NEMT provider in Colorado: MediDrive, HCPF rules, and enrollment
Updated September 2026
Colorado is mid-transition. On July 1, 2026 MediDrive became the state's designated NEMT broker for the nine Denver-metro counties. Statewide provider contracting opened September 1, 2026, new companies can enroll from October 1, 2026, and MediDrive runs every county from January 1, 2027. Until then, providers outside the metro bill Health First Colorado directly. A moratorium on new NEMT provider enrollment has been in place since October 1, 2023 and runs through September 30, 2026. Colorado does not require a PUC permit for Medicaid transportation.
Colorado NEMT at a glance
- Runs the program
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF)
- Program
- Health First Colorado Non-Emergent Medical Transportation (NEMT)
- How rides are arranged
- Statewide broker, phasing in. MediDrive brokers the Denver-metro counties now and the whole state from January 1, 2027. Other counties bill HCPF directly until then.
- Brokers you will contract with
- MediDrive
- State operating license
- No PUC permit. HCPF regulates NEMT under 10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.014.
- EVV for NEMT trips
- Not required
- Medicaid enrollment
- 1,242,334 (July 2026)
How Medicaid NEMT works in Colorado
HCPF administers NEMT as a Health First Colorado benefit under 10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.014, with House Bill 21-1206 (2021) giving the department, rather than the Public Utilities Commission, authority over provider safety and oversight. Effective July 1, 2026 Medidrive, LLC is the department's State Designated Entity, the contracted broker that credentials providers, takes trip requests, dispatches, verifies trips, and pays providers every two weeks.
The rollout is phased. Phase one covers Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties from July 1, 2026, and MediDrive also approves mileage, meals, and lodging for all 64 counties. Statewide provider contracting began September 1, 2026. New companies can start enrollment on October 1, 2026. Members begin booking statewide with MediDrive on December 1, 2026 for appointments on or after January 1, 2027, when MediDrive takes over every county.
In counties that have not transitioned, providers still enroll with Health First Colorado, check member eligibility themselves, keep the state's Standard Trip Log, and bill HCPF's fiscal agent, Gainwell, at the state fee schedule. Once a county moves to MediDrive, claims go only through MediDrive, balance billing is prohibited under rule 8.012, and a provider without a MediDrive contract is not assigned trips and cannot be paid.
Governing rule: 10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.014: Non-emergent medical transportation
Who brokers Medicaid rides in Colorado
One broker, phasing in. MediDrive replaced Transdev Health Solutions (formerly IntelliRide), and HCPF transferred provider rosters directly from Transdev to MediDrive in mid 2026.
| Broker | Serves | Since | Provider sign-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| MediDrive | Denver-metro counties (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, Weld), plus statewide mileage, meals, and lodging approvals. All Health First Colorado members; CHP+ has no NEMT benefit. Statewide contracting opened September 1, 2026. New companies can enroll from October 1, 2026. Every county moves to MediDrive on January 1, 2027. | July 1, 2026 | Provider page Provider relations 720-844-9615 |
| Health First Colorado direct billing (HCPF) | The 55 counties outside the Denver metro, until January 1, 2027. Direct HCPF billing for NEMT ends when MediDrive goes statewide on January 1, 2027. | Provider page |
MediDrive is not a Transdev brand. It replaced Transdev's IntelliRide contract on July 1, 2026, and its co-founder came out of Corporate Transportation Group, a New York paratransit operator.
Providers already in the Transdev network could start MediDrive contracting on May 1, 2026 if their ProCredEx credentialing was current. New providers may serve only the nine metro counties until statewide go-live on January 1, 2027.
How to become a NEMT provider in Colorado
Timing matters more than usual in Colorado. New providers cannot enroll until the moratorium ends on September 30, 2026, and after HCPF enrollment, MediDrive is the door to trips.
- 1
Form the business
Register the company with the Colorado Secretary of State and get a federal EIN. Colorado enrolls NEMT companies as provider type 73, an atypical type, under a Health First Colorado provider ID. MediDrive lists an NPI among its business requirements, so get one before contracting. Use the same legal name, Medicaid ID, and NPI on the MediDrive contract.
- 2
Wait for the moratorium to end
HCPF has frozen new NEMT provider enrollment since October 1, 2023, most recently through September 30, 2026. Existing providers are unaffected. New companies can start enrollment on October 1, 2026.
- 3
Enroll with Health First Colorado as provider type 73
Apply in the Provider Web Portal run by the fiscal agent, Gainwell. NEMT is a high categorical risk provider type, so owners of 5 percent or more are fingerprinted and the state screens the application at that level. HCPF charges a $750 application fee for institutional provider types in 2026 and the portal tells you whether it applies. Applications are processed in about eight business days on average, and enrollment revalidates every five years.
- 4
Credential drivers and vehicles through ProCredEx
MediDrive credentials drivers and vehicles through ProCredEx, the platform Transdev used, and every provider's rosters must stay current there. Each driver needs a 10-panel drug screen and a federal criminal background check within 30 days, an FBI fingerprint check, a driver's license, a motor vehicle record, OIG and SAM exclusion screening, defensive driving, First Aid and CPR, passenger assistance (PASS) training, and wheelchair securement training for wheelchair providers. Each vehicle needs an ASE inspection (wheelchair vehicles at any age, ambulatory vehicles five years or older), registration, insurance, and a MediDrive safety inspection.
HCPF OM 26-029: NEMT statewide broker provider network transition plan
- 5
Contract with MediDrive
Apply through MediDrive's Colorado provider application. Statewide contracting opened September 1, 2026, and new providers can apply from October 1, 2026. After your county transitions, MediDrive is the only path to trips and payment.
- 6
Equip every vehicle
MediDrive requires a compatible tablet and video and audio recording cameras in each vehicle, integrated with its trip system directly or through an approved transportation management system. MediDrive supplies the software only.
- 7
Skip the PUC
House Bill 21-1206 eliminated the Medicaid Client Transport permit. Medicaid-paid trips are on the PUC's list of services it does not regulate.
Vehicle and driver requirements in Colorado
HCPF rule 8.014 sets the state requirements. MediDrive layers its credentialing checklist on top through ProCredEx.
Vehicles
| Requirement | State rule | Broker contract |
|---|---|---|
| Operating permit | None. HB 21-1206 removed the PUC Medicaid Client Transport permit; HCPF regulates instead. | MediDrive credentialing through ProCredEx. |
| Inspection cadence | Safety inspection before use. Vehicles 5 model years or newer: none after that. 6 to 10 years: every 24 months. 11 years or older: annually. Wheelchair vehicles: annually regardless of age (rule 8.014). | ASE inspection for wheelchair vehicles at any age and ambulatory vehicles five years or older, plus a MediDrive safety inspection. |
| Trip records | The HCPF Standard Trip Log is the only accepted log since October 1, 2024, with member eligibility checks under Operational Memo 25-066 (effective October 22, 2025). | Electronic trip report through the MediDrive tablet or app. |
| In-vehicle technology | Not required by rule. | Compatible tablet plus video and audio cameras, integrated with MediDrive's system directly or through an approved transportation management system. |
| Wheelchair vehicles | Annual safety inspection regardless of age, covering the items in PUC rule 4 CCR 723-6, section 6104 (rule 8.014). The rule sets no lift or securement specification. | Wheelchair securement training for drivers of wheelchair providers (ProCredEx). |
Drivers
| Requirement | State rule | Broker contract |
|---|---|---|
| Age and experience | At least 18, with at least one year of driving experience and a Colorado license. | Same. |
| Driving record | Colorado motor vehicle record covering the previous seven years. | MVR (current plus two years) through ProCredEx. |
| Background checks | Colorado or national criminal history check, plus state and national sex-offender checks before hire and annually. | Federal criminal check within 30 days, FBI fingerprints, and OIG and SAM exclusion screening added. |
| Drug testing | 10-panel drug screen before hire and annually. | Same, within 30 days of credentialing. |
| Training | CPR and naloxone training and certification. | PASS passenger assistance, wheelchair securement, defensive driving, and First Aid added. |
Insurance minimums in Colorado
Colorado sets dollar minimums in rule 8.014, plus a second, lower set of minimums that drivers using personal vehicles carry on top of the agency policy. MediDrive adds general liability and workers compensation.
| Coverage | Minimum | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Agency vehicles, auto liability | $300,000 per person and $600,000 per accident bodily injury, $50,000 property damage | 10 CCR 2505-10 § 8.014 |
| Personal-vehicle drivers, auto liability | $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident bodily injury, $15,000 property damage | 10 CCR 2505-10 § 8.014 |
| General liability | Required, amount set in the contract | MediDrive contract |
| Workers compensation | Required at MediDrive credentialing | MediDrive contract |
| Carrier rating | Carrier rated A or better | MediDrive contract |
Does Colorado require EVV for NEMT?
No. Colorado's EVV rule (10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.001) lists fifteen services, including personal care, home health, homemaker, in-home support, private duty nursing, respite, and pediatric behavioral therapies. Transportation is not one of them.
NEMT has its own regime: the HCPF Standard Trip Log, member eligibility checks under Operational Memo 25-066, a daily mileage edit that suspends claims over 52 units (125 in 40 rural counties) for review, and, in broker counties, MediDrive's electronic trip report, GPS-capable devices, and audits. HCPF has framed the enrollment moratorium as a fraud, waste, and abuse control, and it terminated and then reinstated a major provider in 2025.
What changed in Colorado in 2025 and 2026
Health First Colorado covered 1,242,334 people in July 2026, plus 71,773 children in CHP+, who have no NEMT benefit.
HCPF's fee schedule changed on July 1, 2026 under a 2 percent across-the-board reduction (House Bill 26-1410, subject to CMS approval), with a much deeper cut to the ambulatory base rate. Taxicab and mobility van trips pay a $12.15 base plus $2.74 per mile, down from $36.40 and $3.00. Wheelchair vans pay $34.14 plus $2.74 per mile. Stretcher vans pay $49.42 plus $1.86 per mile. Family and volunteer drivers get 47 cents per mile. These are the fee-for-service rates for counties MediDrive does not yet broker; MediDrive's contract rates are available from MediDrive on request.
The 2025 MedRide case set the tone for oversight. HCPF put the provider on a corrective action plan in November 2024, terminated its Medicaid agreement on February 12, 2025 over credentialing and claims failures, then settled effective June 10, 2025 and reinstated it under conditions that include a compliance officer, a third-party claims auditor, and ride caps.
The broker transition follows. MediDrive took the Denver metro on July 1, 2026, statewide contracting opened September 1, the moratorium ends September 30, new companies can enroll from October 1, members start booking statewide on December 1, and MediDrive runs the whole state from January 1, 2027. HCPF scheduled a provider webinar for September 15, 2026.
HCPF begins a moratorium on new NEMT provider enrollment. Notice
The HCPF Standard Trip Log becomes the only accepted trip log for NEMT claims. Notice
HCPF terminates MedRide's Medicaid agreement. Notice
HCPF announces its settlement with MedRide; the termination is rescinded under conditions. Notice
Operational Memo 25-066 sets member eligibility verification requirements for NEMT providers. Notice
HCPF issues Operational Memo 26-029, the statewide broker provider network transition plan. Notice
MediDrive becomes State Designated Entity for the nine metro counties. Routine credentialing with MediDrive begins. A new fee schedule takes effect. Notice
Statewide provider contracting with MediDrive begins for enrolled providers. Notice
The enrollment moratorium ends. Notice
New companies can start NEMT provider enrollment. Notice
Members statewide begin booking with MediDrive for appointments on or after January 1, 2027. Notice
MediDrive brokers NEMT statewide. Direct HCPF billing for NEMT ends. Notice
Frequently asked questions
Who is the NEMT broker in Colorado?
MediDrive. It became HCPF's State Designated Entity on July 1, 2026 for the nine Denver-metro counties and takes over the whole state on January 1, 2027. It replaced Transdev Health Solutions (IntelliRide) and is not a Transdev company. Provider relations: 720-844-9615.
Can I start a new NEMT business in Colorado right now?
Not until October 1, 2026. HCPF has frozen new NEMT provider enrollment since October 1, 2023, currently through September 30, 2026. After that you enroll with HCPF as provider type 73, then contract and credential with MediDrive. New providers can serve only the nine metro counties until January 1, 2027.
Do I need a PUC permit for Medicaid transportation in Colorado?
No. House Bill 21-1206 eliminated the Medicaid Client Transport permit, and Medicaid-paid trips are on the PUC's list of unregulated services. HCPF regulates NEMT under 10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.014.
Do I need an NPI to be a Colorado NEMT provider?
HCPF enrolls NEMT companies as provider type 73, an atypical type, under the Health First Colorado provider ID the state assigns. MediDrive lists an NPI among its business requirements, so plan on one. Ambulance companies enroll separately.
What insurance does Colorado require for NEMT?
Agency vehicles need $300,000 per person and $600,000 per accident bodily injury liability plus $50,000 property damage. Drivers using personal vehicles need $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident bodily injury plus $15,000 property damage. MediDrive also requires general liability, workers compensation, and A-rated carriers.
What are the driver requirements in Colorado?
At least 18 years old with one year of driving experience and a Colorado license, a seven-year motor vehicle record, criminal and sex-offender checks before hire and annually, a 10-panel drug screen before hire and annually, and CPR and naloxone training. MediDrive adds FBI fingerprinting, OIG and SAM exclusion screening, PASS training, defensive driving, and First Aid through ProCredEx.
How much does Colorado Medicaid pay for NEMT?
HCPF's July 1, 2026 fee schedule pays $12.15 base plus $2.74 per mile for taxicab and mobility van trips, $34.14 plus $2.74 per mile for wheelchair vans, $49.42 plus $1.86 per mile for stretcher vans, and 47 cents per mile for family and volunteer drivers. In counties MediDrive brokers, MediDrive's contract rates apply; ask MediDrive for the current schedule.
Does Colorado require EVV for NEMT?
No. Colorado EVV covers personal care, home health, and similar in-home services listed in 10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.001. NEMT uses the HCPF Standard Trip Log or MediDrive's electronic trip report instead.
How often do NEMT vehicles need inspection in Colorado?
Under rule 8.014, vehicles five model years or newer need no periodic inspection, six to ten years every 24 months, eleven years or older annually, and wheelchair vehicles annually regardless of age. MediDrive requires an ASE inspection for wheelchair vehicles at any age and ambulatory vehicles five years or older, plus its own safety inspection.
What happens to my Health First Colorado billing when my county moves to MediDrive?
Claims go only through MediDrive from the transition date, and MediDrive pays every two weeks for completed trips it has checked. Balance billing is prohibited, and a provider without a MediDrive contract is not assigned trips and cannot be reimbursed.
Running NEMT in Colorado with HealthRide
Colorado providers are switching payers mid-year: HCPF direct billing today, MediDrive tomorrow, with trip documentation rules on both sides. HealthRide runs trips for both on one board and one ledger, so the switch is a payer change, not a new system.
The driver app records GPS-recorded miles, timestamps, and signatures on every leg, which covers the actual times, trip confirmation, and driver details the Standard Trip Log asks for.
Official resources
- HCPF: Non-emergent medical transportation
- HCPF: NEMT billing manual
- HCPF: Provider enrollment
- HCPF: Provider rates and fee schedule (transportation rate schedule)
- HCPF OM 26-029: NEMT statewide broker provider network transition plan
- HCPF OM 25-066: Member eligibility verification requirements for NEMT providers
- HCPF: Provider bulletin, July 2026
- 10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.014: Non-emergent medical transportation
- 10 CCR 2505-10, section 8.001: Electronic visit verification
- Colorado General Assembly: HB21-1206 Medicaid Transportation Services
- Colorado PUC: Passenger carrier FAQs
- HCPF: Electronic Visit Verification overview
- HCPF: EVV program hub
- MediDrive: Colorado transportation providers
- MediDrive: Colorado provider application
- MediDrive: About the Colorado program
- Transdev Health Solutions: Colorado transition notice
- Health First Colorado: NEMT member page
- HCPF: Colorado Medicaid terminates contract with MedRide (February 2025)
- HCPF: HCPF and MedRide reach settlement agreement (July 2025)
- HCPF: Health First Colorado enrollment
NEMT in other states
Health plans each contract a broker. Brokers: SafeRide Health, MTM Health, Modivcare.
NEMT in FloridaHealth plans each contract a broker. Brokers: Modivcare, MTM Health, Alivi, Ride2MD.
NEMT in CaliforniaHealth plans each contract a broker. Brokers: Modivcare, Call the Car, American Logistics.
NEMT in New YorkOne statewide broker. Brokers: Medical Answering Services (MAS).
NEMT in PennsylvaniaCounty-run programs. Brokers: County MATP offices statewide; Modivcare in Philadelphia.