5 Tips You Should Consider Before Selecting a Long Distance Medical Transport Service
It takes a lot of preparations to plan for a long-distance medical trip. However, engaging the services of just any non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) provider may backfire. Therefore, you have to consider various factors when choosing a long-distance medical transport service. Here are a few tips we would like to share with you before embarking on a medical trip:
1. Enquire about the available vehicles and their details from your NEMT provider
When traveling long distances, patients often want comfort and serenity throughout the journey. However, the trip may get uninteresting, and the vehicle may not have all the amenities it takes to ensure a comfortable ride.
Therefore, we advise that you ask the medical transport provider about the vehicle’s model, manufacturing year, and safety features. You might also want to know if the vehicle has an air-conditioning system and USB-Bluetooth compatibility.
2. Go through Reviews and Ratings
Going through customer reviews and ratings is another suggestion you must not take lightly before booking a long-distance medical transport vehicle. The reviews and ratings provide a sneak peek into the experiences of previous customers. If more than half of the customer’s reviews are negative and the ratings are pretty low, there is a good chance you may end up frustrated after booking a vehicle from the lowly-rated NEMT provider.
In addition, companies use these reviews to improve their services. Hence, you should look through recent reviews when evaluating the competence of a NEMT provider.
3. Contact a Customer Service Representative
If something goes wrong during a medical trip, calling the customer service team seems to be the most appropriate decision. However, some companies have a poor customer service experience such that when you contact them in bad situations, they are not always available.
You can check the promptness with which the customer service team responds to potential clients by giving them a call before the trip. In some cases, the customer service rep might give unhelpful responses, or you have to jump through hoops before the appropriate quarters address your issue. You can know beforehand how helpful a customer service team is by giving them a call.
4. Enquire about the trip’s total cost
When you book a long-distance medical transport vehicle, the NEMT provider will give you an invoice that shows the total cost of the itinerary. However, it will be counterproductive to rely on this invoice when making a budget for the entire trip. You need to factor in snacks and meals.
In addition, we suggest that you do not leave out accommodation at a guest house or hotel. You should also ask if the hotel you will be staying in accepts credit card payment. Accounting for all these expenses will keep you from having surprises about the travel cost.
5. Ask whether the NEMT provider offers wheelchair services
Patients who have issues ambulating find wheelchair services useful. However, you need to check in with your NEMT provider about the possibility of having them offer wheelchair services. You can make detailed inquiries about the type and model of mobility devices available so that you can have the best experience traveling in a long-distance medical transport vehicle.
Conclusion
Preparing for a medical trip can be very challenging. But you can start by contacting the customer service team, looking through reviews, and enquiring about the vehicles, services offered, and the travel cost. We are sure that if you follow these tips, you stand to have a great traveling experience.
