Outpatient Clinic NEMT Partnership
Reduce No-Shows with Reliable Patient Transport
Transport barriers are the #1 cause of no-show appointments for Medicaid patients. A direct NEMT partnership gives your patients reliable rides to every appointment. Volume pricing. Monthly invoicing. No per-trip authorization.
The No-Show Problem
Medical practices lose $150 to $200 per no-show appointment in direct revenue. For a clinic with 20 no-shows per week, that is $156,000 to $208,000 per year in lost revenue from empty appointment slots that could have been filled by other patients. The indirect costs are higher — staff time spent on rescheduling, clinical outcomes degraded by missed follow-ups, and patient satisfaction impacts.
For Medicaid and low-income patient populations, transportation is the leading non-clinical barrier to appointment adherence. These patients do not have reliable personal vehicles, cannot afford rideshare for recurring medical trips, and depend on public transit systems that often do not connect residential areas to medical facilities efficiently. Broker-dispatched NEMT adds another layer of unreliability — unpredictable pickup times, last-minute cancellations, and long hold queues for scheduling.
A direct NEMT partnership addresses the transport barrier structurally. Patients with recurring appointments get standing orders — transport dispatches automatically every appointment day. Patients with one-time appointments book directly with Dream Care Rides or through your clinic's front desk. The result is fewer missed appointments, better clinical outcomes, and recovered revenue for your practice.
How It Works for Clinics
Patient-initiated booking: Patients call Dream Care Rides directly at (708) 505-6994 to schedule transport to their appointment. This works well for patients who are comfortable managing their own scheduling, or when your clinic provides patients with our number at the time of appointment booking.
Clinic-initiated booking: Your front desk, care coordinator, or social worker books transport on the patient's behalf. This is ideal for patients with cognitive limitations, language barriers, or complex scheduling needs. Clinic staff call our dispatch line directly — no broker middleman.
Standing orders for recurring patients: For patients with ongoing treatment schedules — chemotherapy every two weeks, wound care twice a week, dialysis three times a week — we set up standing orders. Transport dispatches automatically each appointment day with no rebooking required.
Medicaid patients: For patients with Medicaid transportation benefits, we handle prior authorization and billing directly with the MCO. Neither the patient nor your clinic staff needs to manage transport authorizations.
Specialty Clinic Transport
Oncology Centers
Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy appointments. Often 3 to 5 times per week during active treatment. Patients frequently experience fatigue requiring wheelchair transport.
Cardiology Practices
Cardiac rehabilitation, stress tests, echocardiograms, and follow-up appointments. Post-procedure patients may require wheelchair transport.
Orthopedic Clinics
Post-surgical follow-ups, physical therapy referrals, imaging appointments, and cast/brace checks. Service levels change as patients recover.
Wound Care Centers
Recurring wound care appointments 2 to 3 times per week. Many patients have mobility limitations requiring wheelchair transport.
Mental Health & Behavioral Health
Therapy sessions, psychiatric appointments, and group counseling. Consistent, reliable transport is critical for treatment adherence.
Primary Care & General Practice
Annual physicals, chronic condition management, lab work, and preventive care. Transport for elderly and mobility-limited patients.
Volume Pricing for Clinics
Outpatient clinic partners with monthly accounts receive volume-based pricing that reflects the consistency of an established facility relationship. Per-trip rates are based on service level (ambulatory, wheelchair, stretcher), trip distance, and monthly volume.
Monthly net-30 invoicing replaces per-trip billing. Your practice receives a single invoice with itemized trip details — date, patient, service level, origin, destination, mileage, and charge. This simplifies accounting and eliminates the administrative burden of processing individual transport invoices.
For patients using Medicaid transportation benefits on trips starting within 6.5 miles of our Olympia Fields or Palatine bases, we bill Medicaid directly. These transports do not appear on your facility invoice. For private pay patients, billing can go to the patient, the clinic, or a designated third party.
Set Up a Clinic Transport Account
Account setup takes one to two business days. Your staff can begin booking patient transport immediately. Volume pricing with monthly invoicing.