Unpacking the Advantages of NEMT Software

Technology is changing the landscape of every industry, and non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) is no exception. 

The latest advancements in NEMT software and technology enable providers improved abilities to automate complex systems, optimize their fleet, manage schedules, invoices, and much more. 

Embracing this new technology frees up more resources, allowing operators to focus on expanding their business rather than staying afloat.  

In this article, we will discuss the significant advantages that NEMT software offers and how it can help NEMT companies expand their businesses. 

Automate Billing, Claims, and Bookkeeping   

NEMT billing processes can be challenging, requiring accurate trip billings and claim submissions in order to be paid. 

Businesses using manual NEMT billing face many hurdles, including complex and evolving regulations, inadequate reimbursement, and managing large datasets. These can lead to decreased efficiency and revenue for NEMT service providers.    

Errors in manual billing include incorrect patient information, inconsistent medical coding, missing documentation, duplicate billing, and unbundled charges. These errors can result in denied or rejected claims, delaying payments.   

How Does NEMT Software Simplify Billing?   

NEMT software automates the billing process, reducing time, labor, and costs for fleet operators.   

A digitized process helps minimize denied claims and streamlines payment from insurers and brokers. Digitizing and automating the claims management process makes it more efficient and less prone to errors.    

Also, the software automates the process of attesting trips, which helps ensure compliance. As a result, providers are less likely to face compliance issues with submitted claims, saving time and money.   

NEMT software can simplify your financial process in four significant ways: 

Automates billing: NEMT software reduces expenses and mistakes by digitizing records and automating billing from the trip or booking details.  

Streamlines revenue tracking: NEMT software tracks the revenue cycle end-to-end, managing bookings, reimbursements, no-shows, denied claims, and quick payments.   

Accelerates claims submission: By automating the process, businesses can reduce the compliance burden and speed up the reimbursement process by electronically submitting claims with trip and patient info.   

Improves overall experience: The software enhances the customer experience by reducing billing and trip attestation errors and avoiding repeated verification requests.   

Learn more about the benefits and best practices of using NEMT software for billing and claims management.  

Improve Fleet Scheduling and Dispatching   

By harnessing the power of real-time tracking and data analysis, NEMT software also revolutionizes the dispatch process and enhances the transportation experience for patients, drivers, and dispatchers.   

There are multiple benefits to adding software to your scheduling and dispatching operations: 

Streamlines dispatching: It simplifies and automates the dispatch process, minimizing manual effort and errors.   

Optimizes routing: NEMT software has algorithms that factor in real-time conditions, like traffic, estimated arrival times, and driver availability, to optimize routes and reduce wait times for passengers. 

Increases productivity: It enables dispatchers to manage multiple transportation requests simultaneously, enhancing productivity and enabling more rides daily.   

Improves customer satisfaction: NEMT software ensures prompt and efficient transportation, boosting customer satisfaction and repeat business.   

Discover more business benefits of automating routine NEMT tasks by reading our blog about scheduling and dispatching with NEMT software. 

Ensuring Improved Compliance 

Medicaid provides crucial transportation services to beneficiaries through NEMT coverage. 

However, each state’s Medicaid program comes with varying compliance criteria that fleet operators must meet.   

NEMT software factors these criteria and simplifies attesting trips, storing and verifying historical trip data, monitoring drivers and vehicles, and managing claims—helping fleet operators meet their compliance obligations easily.  

NEMT software can help transport providers reduce the risk of fraudulent activities or abuse of Medicaid.  

Without NEMT software, providers must perform the following activities manually to stay compliant:  

Verify services: Fleet operators must verify the services provided. Without NEMT software, they must randomly call beneficiaries and personnel at the medical appointment venue and match the beneficiary’s signature if the broker or state requires it.  

Document trips: The Social Security Act requires all Medicaid providers to keep records and provide them to the state upon request. Without access to a modern NEMT solution, providers must manually train staff to establish clear guidelines and protocols for transportation record-keeping to comply with state regulations.   

Bill accurately: Services should be invoiced accurately. Without NEMT software to do this for them, NEMT providers must ensure they submit claims matching the services rendered. Typically, providers use the CMS-1500 form from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to bill for state transportation services.   

Check for exclusions: Without NEMT software, businesses must screen employees and contractors manually using third-party background verification services before (and regularly during) employment to ensure they are not blocked or debarred by federal health programs.    

Explore more details about ensuring compliance in your NEMT business by following the essential compliance checklist for NEMT business owners.  

Route Optimization  

One significant advantage of NEMT software is its ability to optimize every trip. When your driver gets behind the vehicle to transport a patient, they may know the destination, but do they know the fastest way?  

With NEMT software, route optimization finds the most efficient and shortest route possible.  

When there is an accident on the highway ahead, it may divert the driver to backroads or other routes they may not know of to get to the destination on time despite the obstacle. It is this type of real-time alteration that only NEMT software can provide. 

Benefits of Route Optimization 

Route optimization is almost impossible to do manually. NEMT software automates the process, using algorithms that factor in cost, time, distance, number of vehicles, fuel consumption, safety, and carbon emissions to identify the best route.   

Some of the major benefits of route optimization include: 

Improved efficiency: NEMT software helps enhance efficiency by reducing errors that could lead to route complications.    

Through efficient route planning, transportation providers can decrease the time to complete each trip, resulting in more routes and increased profits.   

Minimized costs: It also saves transportation providers money. Route optimization determines the most economical and fastest routes, enabling providers to save up to 30% on fuel and reduce vehicle wear and tear.   

Increased safety: NEMT route optimization software considers factors that impact driver and passenger safety, such as road conditions, traffic density, and accident-prone areas. By avoiding routes that cross multiple lines of traffic and congested areas, the software helps drivers and passengers safely reach their destination on time.   

Simplified scheduling: NEMT software simplifies scheduling, saving time and operational costs. It finds the closest vehicle, checks its location, and advises the dispatcher on vehicle booking.   

For more details on how this feature can help NEMT business owners improve business outcomes, read the benefits of route optimization with NEMT software.  

Real-Time Fleet Tracking 

Do you know where your vehicles are at all times? If someone is running behind to pick up a patient, can you give that patient an accurate estimate of the arrival time?  

NEMT software provides you with up-to-the-second positioning of your entire fleet. It can help detect potential issues before they end up a problem. 

Benefits of NEMT Fleet Tracking for Service Providers   

Fleet tracking software is beneficial in more ways than just providing real-time status updates of vehicles.  

These benefits range from ensuring safety to enabling predictive interventions and identifying issues before they become problems: 

Ensures safety: NEMT software tracks driving patterns to verify safe transport, helps avoid accident-prone routes, and can even enforce speed limits for compliance.   

Reduces wait times: With real-time vehicle data, NEMT software offers estimated arrival and driver availability data, helping dispatchers optimize routes and reduce passenger wait times.   

Improves transparency and efficiency: NEMT software provides a central hub for monitoring transportation services, verifying the accuracy of claims, and ensuring their validity and completeness.   

Verifies patient complaints: Record and analyze patient complaints and feedback to identify potential gaps in service quality.  

Tracks fleet availability: With real-time visibility, NEMT software enables service providers to monitor fleet availability and dispatch available vehicles promptly to meet transportation needs.   

Read our blog for a detailed breakdown of the business benefits of real-time fleet tracking for NEMT fleet operators.   

Staying in Contact with Drivers and Brokers 

Speed of communication is crucial in the non-emergency medical transport industry.  

The more you can communicate in real-time, the better the results. Drivers will feel more confident in what they are doing, and brokers will be more efficient in delivering jobs for the fleet. 

Having the right software enables you to make phone calls, send alerts and instant messages in real time. With this, you can easily manage your fleet while they are out on the road, and have a broker assign a job to a driver who is already in the area for pickup. 

This type of on-demand request is effective. Adaptation of NEMT software delivery and technology can enable non-emergency medical transport professionals to deliver in real time. Without software driving communication, you’re stuck relying on phone communication, which can easily lead to delays. 

Managing the Patient Portal 

Patients want ease of use when setting up an account and scheduling a pick-up for their appointment.  

A patient portal allows for all this to happen without the need for a phone call or manual work. 

NEMT software allows patients to set up an account with you directly or with your broker partner. They can enter their insurance information for Medicaid and other solutions, contact info, disability needs, and more. 

From there, the patient can schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments as needed. 

When a ride is over, the software allows patients to complete their claim submission automatically. The claim will go to Medicaid or the proper insurance providers for payment.  

If there is any patient responsibility, invoice generation and payment processing again are all software-driven and secure.  

Reporting to Drive Business Gains 

Do you know how many rides you did last month?  

What is your trajectory or growth over a set period?  

What is the average distance of each non-emergency medical transport ride?  

You can easily access all this information and more through NEMT software with built-in reporting.  

Having a dashboard of data to customize to conclude from can help you strategically grow your transport business over time. It gives you a line of sight into where your business is coming from and what to target next. 

Types of NEMT Business Reports    

NEMT software generates various reports for NEMT business efficiency. Here are some reports that are commonly used:  

Daily Log Report: This summarizes daily NEMT trips, including the number of patients transported, destination, and duration.  

Trip Report: This details a fleet’s trips, including patient names, pick-up/drop-off locations, trip duration, the vehicle/driver assigned, special patient needs, and any incidents or issues.  

Billing Report: This outlines NEMT trip costs and provides billing information to insurance companies.  

Analytical Report: This supports data-driven business decisions by measuring high-level performance indicators like driver efficiency, fleet utilization, trip/service trends, and customer satisfaction.  

Maintenance Report: This tracks asset health and maintenance, including details about repair events, parts used, labor required, and associated costs.  

Incident Report: This tracks incidents or accidents during NEMT trips to identify trends and provides data for insurance claims and regulatory reporting.  

Safety Report: This analyzes safety performance to identify trends in metrics like incident frequency, severity, and causes.  

Patient Transport Report: This provides a comprehensive overview of a patient’s condition, care received, and updates to their medical history.  

Compliance Report: This monitors compliance with regulations and minimum standards by measuring incidents, customer complaints, resolution rates, and late arrivals.  

Preparing for a New Era in NEMT 

There is a lot of potential when it comes to NEMT software and the non-emergency medical transport industry.  

The potential impacts every piece of your business, from receiving your request for a means of transport, to managing the drivers, fleet, patient, billing, and everything in between. 

Automation software, such as Tobi, streamlines NEMT processes for those who want to thrive in a tech-driven market.