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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.
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Last updated: March 2026
Dream Care Rides moves patients between hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, rehab centers, and long-term acute care facilities across Chicago and the South Suburbs. Stretcher transfers from $300, wheelchair from $65. Call (708) 505-6994 for facility dispatch.
Book a TransferInter-facility transfer transportation is the scheduled, non-emergency movement of patients between two healthcare facilities. This includes transfers from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities, SNFs to hospitals for outpatient procedures, rehabilitation centers to home, and hospitals to long-term acute care facilities. These are not 911 calls. The patient is clinically stable, has been cleared by a physician, and needs a vehicle equipped for their mobility level rather than an ambulance with paramedics.
In the Chicago metro area, inter-facility transfers happen hundreds of times per day. A patient at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields finishes post-acute recovery and needs transport to a skilled nursing facility in Tinley Park. A resident at a SNF in Harvey needs wheelchair transport to a specialist appointment at Rush University Medical Center. A post-surgical patient at Advocate South Suburban Hospital Hazel Crest is being transferred to a long-term acute care facility. Every one of these transfers requires a vehicle, a trained crew, and coordination between the sending and receiving facilities.
Dream Care Rides provides stretcher transportation in Chicago and wheelchair transportation in Chicago specifically designed for inter-facility transfers. Our vehicles are ADA-compliant, equipped with Q-Straint securement, oxygen-ready, and staffed with crews trained in facility-to-facility patient handoffs.
Discharge planners, case managers, and SNF coordinators arrange non-emergency transfers for these common scenarios:
The most common inter-facility transfer. After acute care treatment, the patient is discharged to a SNF for extended rehabilitation. Stretcher transport is typical for patients who cannot sit upright. Our crews coordinate the handoff with nursing staff at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, Ingalls Memorial Hospital Harvey, Advocate South Suburban Hospital Hazel Crest, and every major South Suburban hospital.
SNF residents who need imaging, lab work, specialist consultations, or outpatient procedures require round-trip transport to the hospital and back to the SNF the same day. Wheelchair transport is common for these trips. Standing orders simplify scheduling for recurring specialist visits.
Patients completing a rehab program need transport home. Depending on mobility level at discharge, this may require a stretcher ambulette, wheelchair van, or ambulatory sedan. The discharge planner determines the appropriate service level based on the patient's functional assessment.
Patients requiring extended acute care are transferred from the hospital to an LTAC facility. These patients are almost always stretcher-level and may need supplemental oxygen during transport. Our crews handle bed-to-bed transfers with a two-person team.
For a complete guide to arranging transport at the time of hospital discharge, read our hospital discharge transportation guide. For hospice transportation services, we provide specialized sensitive transfers with family ride-along. For transfers involving skilled nursing facilities specifically, see our guide on skilled nursing facility transfers.
The service level depends on the patient's mobility and clinical status at the time of transfer. Discharge planners and SNF coordinators select the appropriate level during the booking call.
For patients who cannot sit upright, are post-surgical, or require supine positioning during transport. Our stretcher ambulettes provide bed-to-bed and room-to-room service with a two-person crew. Equipment includes hydraulic-lift gurneys, Broda Traversa reclining transport wheelchairs for patients who need semi-reclined positioning, and portable oxygen systems. Every wheelchair on our fleet is secured with Q-Straint four-point tie-down securement systems.
For patients who can sit upright for 30 or more minutes and transfer from bed to wheelchair with assistance. ADA-compliant vans with hydraulic lifts provide door-through-door service. Appropriate for SNF residents traveling to outpatient appointments, specialist visits, and imaging centers.
| Service Level | Base Rate | Per Mile | Service Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stretcher | $300 – $525 | $5 – $16 | Bed-to-bed, room-to-room |
| Wheelchair | $65 – $115 | $3 – $6 | Door-through-door |
Weekend transfers are billed at 1.5× the base rate. Holiday transfers at 2.25×. Supplemental oxygen adds $25 per trip. Wait time beyond the included window is $15 to $30 per 15-minute increment.
View the complete Dream Care Rides rate card for all service levels and surcharges.
Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, and LTAC facilities can open a Dream Care Rides facility account for streamlined inter-facility transfers. Call (708) 505-6994 and ask for the facility accounts team.
Your facility is assigned a dedicated dispatch contact who knows your transfer patterns, preferred routes, and scheduling requirements.
Set up recurring transfers with a single call. Routes repeat on your schedule. Modify or cancel individual trips with 24 hours notice. A standing order is not a subscription.
Facility accounts get priority routing through our dispatch system. No hold queues. Direct access to a dispatcher who can confirm vehicle availability and ETAs immediately.
No per-trip payment processing. You receive a monthly invoice with itemized trip reports showing patient name, date, route, service level, and cost for each transfer.
Learn more about our healthcare facility partnerships and how other hospitals and SNFs in the South Suburbs work with Dream Care Rides.
Dream Care Rides is headquartered in Olympia Fields, IL, at the center of the South Suburbs. We handle inter-facility transfers throughout the Chicago metro area, including Cook County, Will County, DuPage County, Lake County, and Northwest Indiana.
Common inter-facility transfer corridors our drivers run daily:
Illinois Medicaid managed care plans cover non-emergency inter-facility transfers when prior authorization is obtained. Our billing team handles authorization paperwork. Read our Illinois Medicaid transportation guide for the full authorization process.
Original Medicare has limited NEMT coverage for non-emergency transfers. Some Medicare Advantage plans include supplemental transportation benefits. We verify coverage before scheduling the transfer.
No prior authorization required. The facility or patient pays directly with an upfront confirmed price. Available for same-day transfers when Medicaid authorization timelines are too slow.
Facilities with a Dream Care Rides account receive monthly invoices. No per-trip payment processing. Itemized trip reports are included for internal reconciliation and patient billing.
Otse Amorighoye is the Founder and CEO of Dream Care Rides, a licensed, insured non-emergency medical transportation provider headquartered in Olympia Fields, Illinois (NPI #1033989991). Dream Care Rides serves hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation centers throughout Chicago, Cook County, and the greater Illinois-Indiana metro area.
Call (708) 505-6994 to schedule a stretcher or wheelchair transfer between facilities. Same-day availability across Chicago and the South Suburbs.
Book OnlineFounder & CEO, Dream Care Rides | NPI #1033989991
Licensed NEMT provider headquartered in Olympia Fields, IL.