Non-emergency medical transport captures all types of travel that requires aid or medical assistance, but isn’t a life-and-death service.
The most common are taxi services that help the disabled or elder travel to and from medical centers. They can also help those unable to drive attend a movie theater, visit a friend or go to a restaurant.
There are other types of non-emergency medical transport businesses too such as intensive care transport (helping those in intensive care travel home) and couriers (moving organs, blood, and equipment to areas of need).
If you’re thinking of starting a non-emergency medical transport business, we have some tips to help you get started.
1. Consider Legalities
The medical industry has thousands of legal expectations that you will need to understand and abide by.
Ideally, you should have a medical-legal professional and a business-legal professional help you navigate the sector you are embarking on. They can walk you through the taxes, qualifications, and procedures your business will need to follow.
For example, if you’re creating a taxi service for disabled people and need to lift your customers on occasion, you need to have the correct training.
A sling and sling stand will need to be easily accessible, to help move the customer without harming yourself or them. This training must be taught by a qualified medical professional to be considered acceptable.
2. Ensure Correct Licensing
Using your new legal team, you can ensure you have the correct licensing needed for the job at hand.
Driving licenses for transport vehicles is the first step, however, you may need additional licenses depending on the business.
For example, to be a courier of human organs, you need to obtain a certification proving you know how to care for the organ and can ensure its safety during the travel. You will also need a tracking beacon on the vehicle so hospitals can gauge timelines.
3. A Name That’s Easy To Remember
As the majority of non-emergency medical transportation businesses are aimed a disabled and elderly people, the name of your business needs to be easy to remember.
To be chosen above your competitors, you need a name that stands out, explains what you do, and can stick in a person’s mind.
This part of starting a business can be one of the hardest things to consider. Get the name wrong, and customers can instantly dismiss your business.
If you’re aiming at customers and not business-to-business clientele, you can use a person’s name as a memorable logo, and a tagline that explains the business.
For example, “Sarah’s Everyday Travel - A Disabled Specific Taxi Service”. Here the business name is “Sarah’s Everyday Travel” It can be shortened to “Sarah’s”, making it easy to remember. The common name makes the business seem familiar, and it says exactly what the business does. The tagline “A Disabled Specific Taxi Service” goes into more detail, narrowing down your audience without forcing them to remember anything specific.
4. Ensure Supplies Fit For Use
As you’re dealing with patients, the ill, or delicate equipment, you will need supplies that are fit for the job. For example, if you are transporting organs, your vehicle will need to be cold enough to ensure the organ stays alive.
With disabled customers, you’ll need to ensure that their disability is understood before accepting their business. For example, knowing a client becomes anxious and aggressive due to loud and unexpected noises means ensuring your taxi has noise-canceling headphones or walls to keep them content.
5. Keep A Schedule Of Service
Creating a schedule of service which your customers or clients can look at, can help them see when you are available.
As a taxi service, this can help disabled and elderly people organize their day around your availability. And as a courier service, hospitals can ensure quick collection and drop off with confirming schedules.
Be sure to talk to your customer or clients about availability. If they have been avoiding your service due to a lack of space, you know it’s time to start hiring more staff. Keep the lines of communication open to help grow your business and stay flexible.
Summary
There are three main areas to think about when starting up a non-emergency medical transport business. Those are the legalities, the function, and the connection.
Ensuring you have the right licenses and tax information secures your legalities. Making sure your vehicles and staff have the correct qualifications and structure secures the functionality. And keeping open communication through a friendly and simple business face, keeps your connection.