The Importance of Non Emergency Patient Transport Services
When there is an emergency medical situation, well-equipped means of transportation – an ambulance – is needed. However, emergency cases are not the only reasons for calling a medical transport service. Some people, especially the elderly, disabled individuals, and persons with the cognitive and mental ailments, might face difficulties in commuting with a public bus or taxi. Non emergency patient transport (NEPT) is the ideal choice for these people.
In 2017, the American Hospital Association reported that social determinants have a forty percent share in the responsibility towards a patient’s health. One of those factors that relate to the societal well-being of a person is transportation. It is not associated with any disease or genetic condition. However, there is no denying that an inadequate means of transportation significantly influences the patient’s life in some ways.
That same report indicates that 3.6 million people are unable to get access to proper healthcare. All cases are due to the unavailability of transportation for appointment check-ins. Putting into perspective the effect of this social determinant on people of all ages, the AHA report indicates that four percent of children could not attend medical appointments for the same reason. Indeed, patient transport is as important as the quality of medical care received afterward. Since one wouldn’t exist without the other.
Inaccessibility to transportation took the number three spot on the list of reasons for missing appointments. The revenue generated by the healthcare sector and the patient’s health are negatively affected by missing appointments. As patients continue to miss appointments, they run into a problem with their well-being. In the long run, there are more significant health challenges, and a higher cost burden arises.
From all indications, it is clear that the lack of medical transportation creates a vicious cycle that is not good for society. For patients to avoid their condition from getting any worse, it is necessary that they check-in with healthcare providers regularly. To meet up with a regular appointment schedule, patients with chronic medical conditions can contact non-emergency patient transport services (NEPT). Consequently, a medical problem that will put patient’s finances in jeopardy is less likely to occur.
Some people may opt to dispute the need for patient transport. They will give alternative options like taxis and buses. But taxis and buses do not account for a situation where the patient condition deteriorates into an emergency during transportation. Have they imagined what might happen when a person with a cognitive condition takes the bus? The scenarios in questions of that magnitude paint a picture of how necessary medical transportation is. Therefore, patient transport has a huge role to play in improving our healthcare system.
Generally speaking, patient transport promotes the safety of anyone commuting between the hospital, another facility, and their homes. NEPT ensures that the patient rides to the hospital with comfort and privacy guaranteed. Trained personnel accompanies the patient en-route to the hospital. Apart from the fact that NEPT encourages the patient’s safety, the stress associated with public transportation or driving oneself to the hospital is reduced. Furthermore, it is a chance for disabled or bedridden patients who rarely leave the house to attend their medical appointments with professional medic support and care. Therefore, NEPT is crucial to the patient, the healthcare system, and the economy as a whole.
