Start a Stretcher Van Non-Emergency Transport Service

1. 1

   Confirm how your state classifies stretcher transport

   States differ sharply: some regulate stretcher vans under non-emergency medical transport rules with a livery or NEMT permit, others fold it under EMS licensure requiring EMTs and an ambulance-style license. This single classification decides your cost and staffing, so confirm it with your state EMS office and local regulator before buying a van. Getting it wrong is the most common way stretcher operators get shut down.

2. 2

   Outfit a stretcher van and plan a two-person crew

   You need a van converted to secure a stretcher with proper mounts, a compliant stretcher rated for real patient weights, and lift equipment. Because a bed-confined patient cannot self-transfer, stretcher runs legally and practically require two attendants, unlike a wheelchair van that one driver can run. Price the crew into every trip; it is why the rate is higher.

3. 3

   Set rates above wheelchair NEMT

   Stretcher transport commands a higher base rate and mileage than ambulatory or wheelchair trips because of the crew, the equipment, and the acuity. Private-pay families, facilities, and some Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans pay for it. Publish a clear base-plus-mileage rate and a bariatric surcharge, and confirm which payers in your area cover stretcher-level NEMT.

4. 4

   Sign recurring facility contracts

   Your steady volume comes from skilled nursing facilities, hospitals discharging bed-confined patients, hospice, and dialysis centers. These recurring runs fill a schedule far better than one-off private-pay calls. Pitch reliability and gentle handling to discharge planners and facility administrators, who choose the transport partner.

5. 5

   Meet insurance and driver requirements

   You need commercial auto and general liability suited to patient transport, and drivers with clean records plus training in safe patient handling and often CPR or first aid. Some states require a non-emergency transport business permit and vehicle inspection. Line these up before you accept a facility contract that will ask for certificates of insurance.

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