Understanding How Non-Emergency Transport Works

It’s important that patients who are incapacitated are able to commute to their medical appointments safely and on time. However, a convenient means may not always be available. In cases where family or friends are unable to provide suitable transport, non-emergency transport presents a credible alternative.

Because this service plays such a key role in supporting the treatment process of the patient, it makes sense for anyone who uses it to try to understand how it functions. By doing so, they will have the information required to make the most of the service whenever they have to engage with it.

How Non-Emergency Medical Transport Works

Following the decision to use a non-emergency medical transport, the next step for a client is to contact a call center where a broker waits to receive calls. A non-emergency transport broker acts as a liaison between the service provider and client initiating trips on their behalf.

First, they ascertain whether the prospective beneficiary is eligible through membership requirements of the providing medical care scheme. They can determine this by checking relevant records where they are available. If a member’s verification is successful, a trip or round of trips can then be processed.

The broker takes several actions in a bid to facilitate a hitch-free journey. One such move is finding out whether a client would require medical equipment like wheelchairs or stretchers that would enable them to board and disembark from the conveying vehicle quickly. If there’s a need for such equipment, the broker makes provision for them.

The present locations of drivers and the timing of their trips are also monitored to enable planning and matching of requests. In addition, the broker is responsible for costing trips and communicating prices to clients. When the broker concludes all necessary assessments, a trip is registered, and the transporter is contacted.

In cases where delays in arrival or departure time by transporters occur, patients may be at risk of missing their medical appointments and be forced to reschedule. For some clients, the implications of canceled appointments arising from delays may be critical.

The traditional service delivery model has also come in for criticism due to incidences involving the registration of untaken trips and over-costing due to the provision of unnecessary medical equipment. These have led to an increase in the use of automated non-emergency transport.

More recently, non-emergency transport service platforms can be accessed through a downloadable application on a client’s mobile device. Clients can then sign up and sign in to gain access to many booking and scheduling options such as vehicle type, pickup location, and trip commencement times.

Nevertheless, older people who struggle to use newer technologies have carried on with traditional non-emergency medical transport services. For them, what is most important is that trained professionals assist their trips to and from medical appointments.

Conclusion

A satisfactory experience with medical transporters begins with learning how they function. While it ultimately behooves them to deliver quality service, this outcome is much easier to attain when the user of the service knows what to expect beforehand.