What Happens if a Passenger is a No Show in NEMT?
Several studies showed that almost 40 percent of US citizens face various transportation issues and barriers. These barriers to healthcare access became more pronounced at the peak of COVID-19. This is why many patients delay getting medical services and care. It goes to show how vital NEMT is to timely health-related services.
NEMT is a healthcare transportation service specializing in helping patients who don’t have access to transportation, including those patients who suffer from chronic health issues. These problems make it challenging or almost impossible for these vulnerable patients to make it to their appointments.
NEMT companies in the US were formed to fill a gap in the medical and healthcare industries. They do this by enabling patients to reach their appointments on time. The valuable and honorable NEMT segment makes sure that clinically fragile patients with chronic diseases and patients who don’t need a medical ambulance reach their doctor appointments on time.
Challenges in the NEMT Industry
NEMT providers go beyond offering essential transportation services. However, the industry has many challenges and barriers to overcome, such as streamlining operations, reducing no-shows, and accommodating the specific and unique needs of its patients.
As an NEMT business manager or owner, you should leverage the right strategies and tools to offer the most reliable services to your patients.
No Shows and Missed Appointments
Missed medical appointments are a pressing issue for many elder riders and low-income patients who depend upon NEMT to reach medical appointments. Another exacerbating issue is no-shows. Patients may not show up for their ride appointments because they could be jittery or fearful about a medical procedure. Or they might have the appointment canceled and never informed the NEMT provider about the changes.
Another reason behind no-shows is that patients forget their scheduled appointment dates or time, either because of age-related mental health decline or just because they have so many things to remember.
Medical care providers, such as hospitals and NEMT companies, should use automated systems and NEMT software to better manage and remind patients and riders of appointments. This will lower the instance of no-shows.
Technology can help reduce no-shows and missed appointments. Software platforms have features like notifications and automated calling systems. If the appointment is canceled, the NEMT company will know about the cancelation and adjust its schedule to utilize the fleet at maximum capacity. On the other hand, if the patient forgets about the appointment, the notification system can remind the patient, and that will help prevent both no-shows and missed appointments.
How Do No-show Rates Affect the NEMT Industry?
Missed medical or doctor appointments have significant and long-reaching consequences. Up to 92 percent of adults who miss doctor’s or medical appointments due to transportation issues often have multiple medical conditions.
Effects on Patients
When patients do not show up for medical appointments, it often has several negative effects on their overall healthcare plans, leading to the risk of decreased continuous medical care. Missing appointments also means a higher risk of exacerbated health conditions.
Moreover, it wastes valuable time and money. So, missed appointments cost a lot in monetary terms and also create a national health crisis. The cost of no-shows to the US health industry is as much as $150 billion per year in revenue.
The Cost of Missed Medical Rides to Transport Providers
NEMT providers know that securing scheduled appointments is difficult enough on its own. However, to have your riders show up is a completely different challenge. The high rates of no-shows and missed appointments have many adverse impacts on NEMT companies. Missed rides tend to cost NEMT providers both funds and time.
Many NEMT companies in the country bill customers on a flat rate basis for transport services. For each no-show, the NEMT firm misses the chance to receive service charges, even though medical vehicles and staff are working.
Importance of Reporting No Shows in the Software
Your NEMT company may be losing money in various ways because of your manual and inefficient NEMT processes. Customers now demand better services, and you may have a tight budget. So, you should see what transportation software and technology can do for your business. Reporting no-shows in your software maintains efficiency as you can track the reasons behind missed appointments. This will help you take corrective measures in the future.
Choosing a technologically advanced and secure NEMT software solution for your business ensures that riders get timely access to medical care. With an intuitive and robust software solution for NEMT providers, you can easily and quickly schedule and dispatch your drivers.
You can use a ride reminder service or medical transport software. It will help and improve your company in many ways, such as:
- Increase customer satisfaction
- Reduce the risk of no-shows
- Lower the driver wait time
This is where RouteGenie is valuable. This NEMT software can help manage and minimize no-shows. Many RouteGenie clients have reduced no-shows by up to 30%.
How NEMT Software Can Help
When you communicate with your passengers online and remind them their medical appointment schedule, you can provide better services. This will result in higher patient retention and customer satisfaction. If your clients use a passenger application – they can see where your driver is, get push notifications about upcoming trips and much more.
Final Thoughts
NEMT providers play a crucial role in patients’ well-being, but they suffer from no-shows and missed appointments. Nevertheless, you can try many tools and software to streamline your business processes. Looking for ways to reduce no-shows and provide a better customer experience? Choose a reliable NEMT solution like RouteGenie from iSi Technology.
Try Route Genie Today
To help your NEMT company reduce missed appointments and save valuable time, book your NEMT software demo now!