Loading...
What Counts as an Emergency?
Call 911 if you experience:
We provide NEMT for:
Dream Care Rides is a licensed NEMT provider. We do not provide emergency ambulance or paramedic services.
Loading...
The national average discharge-to-departure time is 3+ hours when using broker transport. Dream Care Rides' average: under 45 minutes. When your hospital needs beds cleared, we get patients home safely and on time.
Every discharge planner knows the frustration: a patient is medically ready for discharge, the physician has signed the orders, the family has been notified, and the bed is needed for an incoming admission. The only thing holding up the process is transportation.
When you rely on broker-dispatched NEMT, you are at the mercy of a system that prioritizes volume over speed. Brokers aggregate requests from dozens of facilities and dispatch from a pool of subcontractors. The result is unpredictable wait times, last-minute driver cancellations, and patients sitting in discharge lounges for hours while beds remain occupied.
Dream Care Rides operates differently. We are a direct provider with our own fleet and our own drivers. When you call us, we dispatch from our vehicles — not from a pool of unknown subcontractors. That is why our average discharge-to-departure time is under 45 minutes for ambulatory and wheelchair patients.
<30 min
Same-day confirmation for ambulatory and wheelchair
<45 min
Average discharge-to-departure time
<60 min
Same-day stretcher transport confirmation
One phone call. No portals, no logins, no fax machines. Call our dispatch team and your patient's transport is confirmed within minutes.
Identify yourself as a discharge planner. Our dispatch team prioritizes discharge transport calls and will connect you with a coordinator immediately.
Share the patient name, hospital and unit, destination address, mobility level, estimated discharge time, and any equipment needs.
We confirm vehicle availability, assign a driver, and provide an estimated arrival time. For ambulatory and wheelchair, confirmation is within 30 minutes.
Our driver arrives at the discharge entrance, assists the patient from the unit to the vehicle, and provides door-through-door service to the destination.
We understand that discharge timing is unpredictable. Physicians may clear a patient for discharge at any time during the day, and your facility needs the bed turned over quickly. That is why Dream Care Rides maintains same-day vehicle availability specifically for discharge transport.
For ambulatory and wheelchair patients, we confirm same-day discharge transport within 30 minutes of your call. For stretcher patients, confirmation is typically within 60 minutes depending on ambulette availability. If you know a discharge is likely to happen later in the day, call us early to pre-schedule and we will guarantee the vehicle.
If you anticipate a discharge later in the day, call us when the physician first discusses discharge with the patient — even before the official order is signed. We can pre-stage a vehicle so that when the orders are finalized, your patient is out the door in minutes, not hours.
The more information you provide upfront, the faster we can confirm and dispatch. Here is what helps us get your patient home quickly:
Our drivers are familiar with the discharge entrances, parking protocols, loading zones, and discharge desk contacts at major Chicago-area hospitals. When we dispatch to a hospital we have served before, the driver knows exactly where to go — no delays, no confusion, no calls asking for directions.
Not on this list? We serve all hospitals in our coverage area. Call (708) 505-6994 to confirm.
Choosing the right transport level ensures patient safety and avoids unnecessary costs. Use this guide to determine whether your patient needs wheelchair or stretcher transport.
Not sure which level your patient needs? Call (708) 505-6994 and our team will help you determine the right service level.
We confirm same-day ambulatory and wheelchair transport within 30 minutes of your call. Stretcher transport is typically confirmed within 60 minutes depending on vehicle availability. For planned discharges with advance notice, we guarantee vehicle arrival within your requested window.
Yes. Our drivers have completed trips at dozens of Chicago-area hospitals and are familiar with discharge entrances, parking protocols, loading zones, and discharge desk contacts. When we dispatch to a hospital we have served before, the driver knows exactly where to go.
Yes. We operate stretcher ambulettes staffed with trained attendants who can safely transfer bed-bound patients. Our stretcher vehicles accommodate oxygen equipment, IV poles, and Broda Traversa chairs. For bariatric stretcher patients, we have specialized vehicles rated for 300+ pounds.
We need the patient’s full name, hospital name and unit number, destination address, mobility level (ambulatory, wheelchair, or stretcher), estimated discharge time, any special equipment needs (oxygen, Broda, bariatric), and insurance status. Having this information ready when you call speeds up confirmation.
Yes. Dream Care Rides works with Medicaid managed care organizations and can bill directly for eligible patients. For patients without Medicaid NEMT coverage, we offer transparent private pay pricing with no hidden fees. Many facilities cover the cost as part of their discharge process.
Discharge times shift frequently — we understand that. Call us as soon as you know the time has changed and we will adjust the pickup window. Changes made at least 30 minutes before the original scheduled time are accommodated at no additional charge.
Call our dispatch team and we will have a vehicle confirmed for your patient within 30 minutes.
Dream Care Rides Partnerships Team
The Dream Care Rides partnerships team works with discharge planners at hospitals and skilled nursing facilities across Illinois and Indiana. Contact us at (708) 505-6994 or info@dreamcarerides.com.