The Difference Between Medical Billed and Private Pay Rides

Medical transportation is a vital service for many individuals who require transportation to and from medical appointments but may not be able to drive themselves. 

There are two main types of medical transportation: 

1. Medical billed rides 
2. Private pay rides

Medical Billed Rides

Medical billed rides are transportation services covered by a patient's insurance or Medicaid. These rides are typically arranged by a healthcare provider or hospital and are meant for individuals who have a medical condition or disability that prevents them from driving themselves. Medical billed rides are typically provided by transportation companies that contract with healthcare providers and insurance companies.‍

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Private Pay Rides

Private pay rides, on the other hand, are transportation services paid for and arranged directly by the patient or their family. They are meant for individuals who do not have a medical condition or disability that would qualify them for medical billed rides. Private pay rides are typically provided by transportation companies that offer non-emergency medical transportation services.‍

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Types of Vehicles

Medical transport fleets typically have one or all of the following types of vehicles.

1. Wheelchair van: For riders that rely on a wheelchair to increase their mobility but no other medical care is needed. Wheelchair vans have a lift or ramp to help riders get into the van and a space to secure a wheelchair during transport.

2. Basic Life Support: For patients that require regular monitoring and the administration of oxygen.

3. Advanced Life Support: For riders who require more intensive medical assistance like EKG monitoring. Advanced Life Support vehicles are often staffed by an EMT or paramedic and come equipped with various specialized medical equipment.

4. Critical Care: For patients that depend on a ventilator or pump. Critical care vehicles are operated by a driver and paramedic trained in critical care.

5. Bariatric Vehicle: Bariatric vehicles are furnished with a broader Bariatric cot so they can carry patients who weigh more than 300 pounds and need a wider stretcher.

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Coordinating Rides

While both types of medical transportation are important, they require different types of coordination and billing processes. Coordinating medical billed rides can be a complex process that involves working with insurance companies and healthcare providers, while coordinating private pay rides typically involves working directly with the patient or their family.

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Must Have Features For Non-emergency Medical Transport Fleet Management

EverTransit, the only on-demand Fleet Management System for non-emergency medical transport, streamlines the work of performing both types of rides with features like: 

Smart Automated Scheduling

• Fleet managers can dispatch trips by location, medical needs, passenger count, driver certifications, pre-defined routes, availability, vehicle/driver profiles, and more. 

Live Trip Tracking

•  Live-updating vehicle tracking improves efficiency by preventing delays before they happen, and riders always know when their driver will arrive.

Customer Profile Management 

• Track important customer identifiers such as special needs, emergency contacts, favorite drivers, and more to ensure an elevated customer experience and smoother operations.

Secure Trip Imports & Exports

• With a trip manifest upload, fleet managers can easily import CSV records from integrations and other 3rd party vendors into their system and just as easily export data with an anonymized trip manifest.

EverTransit helps transportation providers manage their fleets, schedule rides, and bill for services. Our system can also help transportation providers to coordinate with healthcare providers and insurance companies for medical billed rides.

Conclusion

If you need non-emergency medical transportation, you have options. It's up to you to decide the best and most cost-effective option.

Medical transportation is vital for many individuals who require transport to and from medical appointments. Understanding the difference between medical billed and private pay rides is essential for transportation providers and patients.

With EverTransit's Fleet Management System, transportation providers can easily manage both medical billed and private pay rides, making coordinating and billing medical transportation more efficient.

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