In previous blogs we have examined how Non-Emergent Medical Transportation can improve the health status of a community and serve as an effective tool to reduce health care costs. We also reviewed the concept of “transportation deserts” which exist in almost every community in the United States and how providing NEMT can overcome the challenges associated with a lack of access and affordability faced by individuals who live in underserved areas. Finally, we examined how NEMT can generate a strong ROI through reductions in unnecessary ER usage, inpatient readmissions, patient no-show rates and improving patient throughput challenges faced by today’s hospitals.

While there are a number of NEMT options available today, it is important that providers choose the right transportation partner if they hope to impact the opportunities  previously discussed. There are key criteria that a modern day, successful NEMT vendor must meet:

  • A vendor who understands the legal and regulatory aspects of HIPAA , the importance of PHI and requires its drives to sign Business Associate Agreements.
  • A vendor who utilizes a due diligence process to select its drivers via extensive background checks on each applicant including a review of the OIG database.
  • A vendor who offers a flexible driver training program to meet the unique needs of each client.
  • A vendor who uses a “state of the art” scheduling platform that is intuitive and possesses robust reporting functionality.
  • A vendor who can easily integrate its scheduling process into the clinician’s daily workflow.
  • A vendor who goes beyond curb-side service only.
  • A vendor with a real person at the other end of the phone call to address any issues that may arise.

In addition, it is important for an NEMT vendor to be willing to identify key performance measures and be willing to guarantee it ability to meet those measures. Here are some measures to consider and these are by no means all inclusive:

  • Patient no-show rates
  • Timeliness to pick-up
  • Client retention percentage
  • Client net-promoter scores
  • Rider satisfaction scores
  • Driver turnover rates
  • Vehicle safety records

A premier NEMT vendor should be willing to tie its reimbursement to its ability to meet the agreed upon performance measures. If you review the NEMT industry today, you will have a difficult time finding a vendor who can meet this profile. There are vendors who can meet some of these indicators, but I am only aware of one vendor who can meet them all. Take a moment and check out SendaRide.com to discover an innovative NEMT vendor who was developed specifically to meet the needs of today’s healthcare industry. It’s not focused on worldwide driver mobility – its sole focus is on delivering patients to providers in the most and secure way possible.

Greg Meyers, MBA
Director, Strategic Growth
SendaRide, Inc.