The Benefits of AI in the NEMT Industry

The concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved from science fiction to science fact.  

There’s a good chance that you’ve used AI sometime recently. Saying Hey, Google, Siri, or Alexa means that you activated the AI in your device, and they respond back to you as they were programmed to do.  

It may have been as simple as finding the forecast or answering a trivia question.  

However, AI has an even broader application regarding how a business can use it.  

In this article, we’ll discuss several benefits of employing AI in the NEMT industry.  

Make Smarter, Informed Decisions 

One of the most significant benefits of AI is the enhanced ability to make educated decisions.  

AI has been programmed to spot patterns across businesses easily. So, using AI for your NEMT industry means you can make the most informed decisions on moving your business forward.  

At first, it may seem that using AI with NEMT scheduling and dispatch software would only benefit large fleet businesses, but many small fleet NEMT services benefit from AI.  

They can establish themselves as a more extensive fleet by utilizing these tools from the beginning. 

Auto-Scheduling with Machine Learning and AI 

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are valuable tools for many businesses, especially where discernible patterns are involved.  

For example, many doctor’s appointments, treatments, rehabilitation services, and other medically necessary trips are on particular schedules. You can use NEMT scheduling software to create an auto-scheduling feature that makes scheduling rides for regular visits easy.  

Using AI-powered NEMT software, you can easily track each patient’s appointments and have their transportation scheduled in advance.  

Consider how long it would take an individual to consistently create a schedule with this level of detail at the correct cadence. Auto-scheduling significantly reduces this time while allowing your staff to handle other patients. 

Demand Prediction 

Artificial intelligence can help you with staff schedules, fleet maintenance, and other tasks.  

For example, AI can quickly identify times when your business is slower than when it’s busier. The software can often do this by analyzing all the data that comes in over the weeks, months, and years you use it.  

It can then extrapolate when you should have more staff to handle the schedule and when things may be a little slower where you can focus on other aspects of your business.  

For instance, taking one vehicle off the road for regular maintenance on a quiet day is the best way to minimize a smaller fleet’s impact on your business. 

Demand prediction is also a valuable tool for your patients.  

Some doctors run a much tighter ship than others regarding scheduling. You may find that some of your return trip patients are ready much quicker to be picked up than others.  

AI can evaluate the time between the drop-off and the return trip to help coordinate your schedule.  

Demand prediction also helps you determine when to increase your staff service area or grow your business in other ways. 

Route Optimization  

It’s hard to argue with the benefit of route optimization from artificial intelligence.  

AI can evaluate the different locations and quickly come up with a route. It avoids problem spots in the road, helping your drivers get where they need to be.  

It can create the most optimum route to help maximize the driver’s day and reduce wasted time on the road.  

It can start your day with the best routes available for scheduled stops and quickly update the route when there are canceled or added trips.  

It can often be harder to handle this disruption when AI is uninvolved. These changes in the working schedule would otherwise be lost time.  

Autonomous Dispatch 

Dispatch scheduling often consists of routine, simple phone calls that could be quickly automated. 

Using AI could save time and money when handling these more routine dispatch scheduling needs.  

NEMT dispatch software can make a huge difference in your daily schedule.  

There will always be situations requiring a human touch for more complex scenarios. By sending the more routine calls to AI, you free up your staff’s time to handle these more complicated calls.  

In addition, it helps to make your dispatchers’ jobs more efficient while helping schedule your clients as quickly as possible, as phone lines aren’t tied up on the more basic scheduling needs. 

Autonomous dispatch can make scheduling the initial call easier for more routine rides and improve the time it takes for a driver to be dispatched to pick up a patient after their appointment.  

One thing that never seems to change with healthcare is how quick appointments can often take much longer due to unexpected wait times. It can be hard to track when return trips must be made for these patients.  

Autonomous dispatch through AI can help streamline this process and reduce the time that clients are left waiting for their return ride home. 

Leveraging AI in Your Business 

Artificial intelligence can be a powerful ally to help your business grow and expand.  

Taking advantage of AI’s knowledge and how it views your business is a sure win.  

Your staff will enjoy the automation it provides, while your transportation clients will be pleased with your continuously improving service for scheduling and dispatch.  

When it comes to having the best AI-powered NEMT dispatch and scheduling software, Tobi can help you grow your business.  

Contact us today to learn more about how you can implement our cloud-based service into your NEMT business to capture the power of artificial intelligence.