Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services cater to the needs of elderly and disabled patients who cannot drive themselves to healthcare centers. The need for professional NEMT services is increasing at an alarming rate, especially in rural areas. In fact, about 3.6 million patients postpone or skip their medical appointments due to the lack of proper commute which costs the medical industry 150 billion USD annually.
If you want to start a NEMT business or grow an existing one, now is the time. Here are a few primary factors to take into account when it comes to NEMT business.
Know your target audience
When you want to start or grow your NEMT business, you have to be clear about who you serve- patients from a local community or a larger audience outside the given geography. Only when NEMT operators rightly identify their potential customers, they can come up with strategies to improve business opportunities and expand their customer base in the days to come.
Estimate your expenses
Expenses are an inevitable part of any business and NEMT is no exception. Before you start a new NEMT business or expand an existing one, make it a point to estimate the costs that follow. The expenses involve your fleet and resources, fuel consumption and vehicle maintenance, insurance and licensing and much more. Ensure that you are ready to handle these expenses before boosting returns.
Comply with legal policies
As NEMT relates to the transit of people with special needs, there are several legal policies for business owners to follow. These governmental policies differ from one place to the other based on various factors. When you start a NEMT business, it is mandatory to check the legal policies relating to your service locations and comply with the same.
Design your fare structure
The fare structure is one of the key factors your target market considers before availing your service. Make sure you set up ride fares wisely. Take into account your service location, the economic status of your customers, the kind of NEMT service you provide and the pricing structures of your competitors before coming up with a definite pricing plan. If you tie-up with medical organizations, you receive contract-based payments from them and do not collect charges directly from the patients.
Build your brand
Establishing your presence in the target market is important because that is how your potential customers get to know about your NEMT service. Create a unique brand for your business and promote it with a unique logo. After all, your success story begins with your target audience recognizing your business with its brand name and logo.
Automate your business
Managing your day-to-day business activities with manual methods can be tiring and time-consuming. Automate your business operations now with a digital solution. The comprehensive features of NEMT software facilitate you to keep track of your vehicles and resources in real-time, optimize routes to prompt on-time pickups, monitor business performance with daily reports to eliminate inefficiencies and much more.
Stay competitive
There may be other non-emergency medical transportation service providers within your service boundaries. Know who your competitors are and find ways to make your service unique, so that your potential customers choose you over the other industry players.
With an on-demand app for NEMT, you can allow healthcare providers to book trips for their patients in a few taps. Additionally, the voice recognition feature and talk-back functionality integrated with the passenger app facilitate disabled patients to book vehicles through voice commands. This way, you can increase customer engagement and thereby boost your revenue.
Develop partnerships
When it comes to NEMT business, your customer base may decrease sooner or later if you keep it confined to a limited circle. Collaborate with brokerages and other organizations that share the same customer base. This way, both the parties involved can serve a larger audience and reap massive commercial benefits synchronously.
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