How to Start a Medical Transportation Business in 7 Simple Steps?

Medical transportation businesses are often highly lucrative, primarily if they focus on serving the elderly. 

The elderly population is one of the fastest-growing groups in America, and they are more likely than younger people to require medical transportation services. 

A CAGR of around 9% is predicted by 2022-2028 for the U.S. Healthcare Transportation Services Market. The U.S. Healthcare Transportation Services Market is expected to reach USD 24,137.6 million by 2028.

There is an ever-increasing demand for these services, making them more profitable over time and more stable than other types of businesses when the economy fluctuates. If you’re aspiring to get into the medical transportation business and wondering how to start a medical transportation business, this article will guide you in getting started with your business.

What Does a Medical Transportation Business Do? 

A medical transportation business provides transportation to people who need it, such as seniors and specially-abled people.

The main goal of a medical transportation business is to provide safe, reliable, and comfortable transportation to people who may not be able to drive themselves or do not have access to public transportation.

A medical transportation business can be an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to start their own business but only has a little money initially because it does not need office space or equipment, etc.

7 Steps to Start a Medical Transportation Business

Medical transportation is a sensitive and critical field. You need to be extra vigilant in all that you do. Keeping everything in mind, here are seven steps to start a medical transportation business:

Step 1: Choose the right location

When starting a medical transportation business, you must choose the correct location. The area should be accessible and easy to find. It should also offer parking spaces for your vehicles and a place where patients can wait comfortably.

In addition, it should have good public transport connections so patients can get there quickly. Go for a venue that is near hospitals or clinics. It will allow you to attract more customers since many people will already know where to find your business.

For example, if you provide home health care and offer transportation services for people who need help getting from their homes to doctor’s appointments or nursing homes, you’ll want to be close enough to your clients that they can quickly get there. 

But if you are a company that provides transportation for patients, being closer to the hospital may be more significant.

Step 2: Register your business

There are several business entities, each with advantages and disadvantages. Medical transportation businesses must select a (legal status) business structure that will shape tax obligations, personal liability, and business registration requirements. 

Here are the main options:

• Sole proprietorship: This is the most accessible type of business to start and maintain. You’re personally liable for any debts or legal issues that arise from your company.
• Partnership: This is similar to a sole proprietorship such that no annual fee or ongoing paperwork requirements exist. However, partners have personal liability for all debts or lawsuits against their company. 
• Corporation: This requires an initial registration fee and ongoing paperwork requirements. It also offers limited liability protection and tax advantages over other entities because profits can be passed to shareholders. 
• Limited Liability Company (LLC): LLCs provide some protection from personal liability while offering flexibility regarding how much tax you’ll pay on profits.

Step 3: Apply for licenses and permits

Starting a medical transportation business is a great way to make money and help people. But before you can get started, you need to meet all the legal requirements.

In most states, you must get a license or permit from your state and county governments. Once you have those, you must obtain a federal license or permit and register with OSHA. You’ll also need a valid driver’s license to operate motor vehicles. 

Getting all these licenses can be time-consuming and expensive, but it’s worth considering how much money you’ll make when your business is up and running.

Step 4: Invest in the right equipment

The medical transportation business is a daunting task in our society. It helps potential clients who need treatment or health care from one place to another.

Medical transportation businesses use various equipment, including:

• Ambulances and other vehicles equipped with medical equipment, such as defibrillators, oxygen tanks, and stretchers.
• Medical equipment, including wheelchairs and walkers.
• Medical supplies like bandages, gauze, and gloves.
• Medical transportation businesses also use proper vehicles, including wheelchair accessible vans and minivans. 

Step 5: Hire a team

If you’re looking to build a successful medical transportation company, you’ll need to hire the best and brightest experienced workers you can find.

As your business grows, so will the number of patients and contracts you take on. To ensure that your patients get the quality of service they expect from your company, hiring experienced drivers and office managers who will keep things running smoothly is essential.

Step 6: Market your service offerings after thorough research

When it comes to medical transportation services, you need to know what kind of people are likely to use them and what problems they’re looking for solutions for. 

Once you’ve identified those clients and figured out their problems, you can figure out how to talk about your business in a way that speaks directly to them and addresses their needs.

For example, if you’re marketing medical transportation services for senior clients with disabilities, you might talk about how your drivers are specially trained in handling wheelchairs and walkers.

How they’ll help seniors with dementia remember where they’re going so they don’t get confused by the route. 

Or maybe it’s more vital for them that all of their vehicles are wheelchair accessible so that they can get around without trouble no matter what type of mobility issue someone has.

Step 7: Provide top notch customer service

To provide good customer service for a medical transportation business, you must understand what your potential customers are looking for.

You should be able to anticipate their needs and take steps to meet those needs immediately. If an issue arises, you should be able to handle it in a way that keeps your customer happy and engaged.

Pros and Cons of Starting a Medical Transportation Business

Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT business) is an excellent option and a profitable business for those who want to make a difference in their community and have an entrepreneurial spirit.

Following are some pros and cons of starting a (NEMT business) non-emergency medical transportation business:

Perform Medical Transportation Services Using Best Routes from Upper

Every second counts when you’re moving, and every penny counts when you have to travel. This is especially true in a critical business like non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT Business). 

Therefore, it is essential to use NEMT scheduling software while performing non-emergency medical transportation services. In that case, Upper Route Planner could be your ideal software as it comes with an array of routing features. Using it, you can surpass on-road obstacles so that your patients reach hospitals on time.

With Upper, you can:

• Save time by avoiding traffic jams and finding the best way to reach needy patients.
• Do cost savings by finding the quickest possible route with the lowest fuel usage so that medical essentials reach their destination on time.

Upper maximizes efficiency with less time spent traveling. Taking historical data and real-time information into account, it provides the best routes for each worker to take dynamically. So, all your drivers will never be late. Below is how Upper can be reliable software for those who want to run a medical transportation business

1. Dispatch routes in a single click

Upper offers a one-click dispatch that helps you notify employees about upcoming appointments and stops. Moreover, if one of your drivers cancels an appointment due to an emergency, you can immediately reassign it to an available driver. As a result, it ensures that the patients never suffer.

2. Schedule routes for months

With Upper, you’ll save hours spent manually scheduling patients’ pickups or drops to or from medical appointments. All you need to have is a list of stops and delivery drivers, and Upper route planning software will do the job. This is a quicker and more efficient way to schedule routes and save time so you can focus on more pressing matters.

Conclusion

Starting a medical transportation company or profitable senior transportation business, even if it’s non-emergency medical transportation is not for the faint-hearted. You must be willing to invest the time and energy necessary to succeed and garner many opportunities.

All said and done, remember that you should be on time when running a medical transportation business for elderly and disabled patients. This is true even for Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services or nemt businesses which deal with non-emergency cases.

This is where Upper helps medical transportation companies. Upper route planning and optimization software ensures that you take all driving contingencies into account and have the shortest routes to always reach the patients on time. Try Upper Route Planner’s 7-day free trial today.