Different Types of Medical Transport Services and Their Costs

Medical transport services are bridging the gap between patients and their access to medical care. Whether patients want to visit the pharmacy, the lab, or meet with their doctor—medical transport services serve this purpose. Before considering medical transport services’ costs, it’s important to know the different types of medical transportation and how they operate.

Types of Medical Transport Services        

1. Emergency Medical Transport (EMT) – This type of transportation is for people with immediate medical needs. Accident causalities, patients with stroke attacks, or other life-threatening conditions require immediate medical attention. The EMT picks patients in any of these emergencies and transports them to the hospital on time. Although it conveys them from one location to another, it also provides them with basic medical services en route to keep them stable.

What’s the Cost of Emergency Medical Transport Service? The cost of EMT depends on whether the medical transport service is managed by the government or a non-government body. Government-owned EMTs are considerably affordable compared to privately—owned services. This is because, in most regions, the government funds EMTs using property tax. However, in regions with a small population, individuals are made to pay a certain fee for their transport services. 

• Non-Emergency Transport Services (NEMTs) – Similarly to EMT, the non-emergency transport service offers patients medical services on board. But, these services are only available to patients with no critical health conditions. For example, patients scheduled for medical appointments, such as chemotherapy or dialysis, can move to and from the hospital via non-emergency transport.

How Much does Non-Emergency Medical Transport Service Cost? To decide the cost of NEMT, consider the following factors;

• Distance – It’s vital to evaluate how long a medical journey will last. Knowing the distance between the location of a patient and their preferred health facility will help in estimating medical transport services costs. Moreover, most NEMT providers charge fees based on miles covered during a medical trip.
• Required Medical Services – The type of medical services needed by a patient while in transit will affect the transportation cost. For example, patients with a loss of consciousness will need a ventilator. Here, their transportation cost will likely be higher compared to a patient with no such need.
• Means of Transport – There are various modes of medical transportation; flight, rail, or, road. How much medical transport services cost depends on the means of transportation. If a patient goes on a medical trip using a flight, they will have to pay more than if they went by road.
• Need for Certified Medical Staff – When using NEMT, patients should consider if they would need the services of professionally trained medical staff. Having a doctor or nurse on board can affect how much a patient pays for their medical transport.

The above-listed factors all contribute to the cost of medical transport services. And therefore, there’s no exact fee for these services. However, if you’re interested in knowing the exact cost of either Emergency transport services or Non-emergency transport services, it’s best to contact a certified medical transport service provider.