Hospital NEMT Partnership
Hospital Discharge Transport That Works
Direct provider transport for hospital discharges, inter-facility transfers, and recurring outpatient appointments. No broker delays. Under 45-minute average discharge pickup.
The Discharge Transport Problem
The average hospital holds a bed 2 to 4 hours waiting for NEMT after a patient is cleared for discharge. That costs $500 to $1,500 per bed-day in lost capacity. For a hospital processing 50 discharges per week that require NEMT, that is 100 to 200 hours of bed-hold time per week — the equivalent of 4 to 8 beds permanently occupied by patients who are ready to leave.
The root cause is broker-dispatched transport. When a discharge planner calls a broker, the request enters a queue. The broker assigns it to a provider. The provider confirms availability. The driver is dispatched. Each step adds 20 to 40 minutes. If the first provider declines, the cycle restarts. The discharge planner has no visibility into where the transport stands.
Direct provider transport eliminates the broker layer entirely. Your discharge coordinator calls our dispatch team directly. We confirm driver assignment and ETA in real time. Average discharge-to-departure time drops from 2 to 4 hours to under 45 minutes. That is not an incremental improvement — it is a category change in discharge throughput.
The downstream effects compound. Faster discharges free beds for incoming admissions. Fewer patients board in the ED waiting for inpatient beds. Patient satisfaction scores improve when discharge does not involve a multi-hour wait. And readmission risk drops because patients reach their follow-up destinations on time rather than missing post-discharge appointments due to transport failures.
What We Handle for Hospitals
Five core transport categories that cover the full spectrum of hospital NEMT needs.
Discharge Transport
Post-inpatient discharge to home, SNF, or rehab facility. All service levels available.
Recurring Outpatient
Standing orders for patients with recurring hospital-based appointments — dialysis, infusion, wound care.
Inter-Facility Transfers
Hospital-to-SNF, hospital-to-rehab, hospital-to-hospital non-emergency transfers.
ED-to-Home Transport
Non-emergency patients cleared for discharge from the emergency department.
Post-Surgical Follow-Up
Return transport for post-operative appointments, suture removal, imaging, and specialist follow-ups.
Hospital Systems We Serve
We provide transport to and from major health systems across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. Our drivers know entrance locations, patient pickup areas, and parking protocols at each facility.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago — Streeterville
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago — Near West Side
UChicago Medicine
Chicago — Hyde Park
John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital (Cook County)
Chicago — Near West Side
Advocate Christ Medical Center
Oak Lawn
Franciscan Health
Northwest Indiana — multiple campuses
NorthShore University HealthSystem
Evanston, Skokie, Glenview, Highland Park
Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood
Sinai Chicago
Chicago — multiple campuses
Mercy Hospital & Medical Center
Chicago — Bronzeville
Plus community hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, and rehabilitation facilities throughout our 31-city coverage area.
How Discharge Coordination Works
Identify Transport Need
Discharge planner determines the patient’s service level (ambulatory, wheelchair, stretcher), destination, and estimated discharge time.
Call DCR Dispatch Directly
Use your facility’s dedicated dispatch line. No broker hold queue. Average call time under 2 minutes.
Receive ETA Confirmation
Dispatch confirms driver assignment and estimated arrival time. Real-time status updates available.
Driver Arrives at Facility
Driver reports to the designated pickup area — ER entrance, main lobby, or specific floor. Door-through-door patient assistance.
Patient Transport & Confirmation
Safe transport to destination. Facility receives drop-off confirmation with timestamp and patient signature.
Pricing for Hospital Partners
Hospital partners receive volume-based pricing that reflects the operational efficiency of a direct provider relationship. Because there is no broker markup and no per-trip authorization overhead, facility rates are consistently lower than broker-dispatched alternatives.
Pricing is structured by service level (ambulatory, wheelchair, stretcher, bariatric), trip distance, and monthly volume commitment. High-volume discharge partners qualify for tiered discounts. All pricing uses Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services base rates as a reference point.
Billing is monthly net-30. Your accounting department receives a single invoice with itemized trip details — date, patient identifier, service level, origin, destination, mileage, and charge. No per-trip invoices. No authorization paperwork per transport.
For Medicaid-eligible patients, we handle prior authorization and billing directly with the appropriate MCO. The facility is not involved in the Medicaid billing process for these transports.
Partnership Results
South Suburban Hospital: From 3.5 Hours to 38 Minutes
A South Suburban hospital was averaging 3.5 hours between discharge clearance and patient departure for NEMT-dependent patients. The hospital processed approximately 40 NEMT discharges per week through a regional broker. Discharge planners reported spending 30 to 45 minutes per transport on hold with the broker, checking status, and managing patient and family expectations during the wait.
After establishing a direct transport partnership with Dream Care Rides, the hospital eliminated the broker layer entirely. Discharge planners call our dispatch team directly on a dedicated facility line. Average discharge-to-departure time dropped to 38 minutes. The discharge planning team reclaimed an estimated 15 to 20 hours per week previously spent on transport coordination calls.
The hospital reported improved bed turnover, fewer ED boarding hours, and measurably higher patient satisfaction scores on discharge experience questions. Monthly invoicing replaced per-trip authorization, simplifying the accounting workflow.
3.5 hrs → 38 min
Discharge wait reduction
15-20 hrs/wk
Staff time reclaimed
40/week
NEMT discharges handled
Start a Hospital Transport Partnership
One call to set up your facility account. Volume pricing, monthly invoicing, and a dedicated dispatch line for your discharge team.