NEMT: A Critical Link for Rural Communities

NEMT: A Critical Link for Rural Communities

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3 min read

One of the most important socioeconomic determinants of health is transportation. Without it, many people would be unable to attend important exams and treatment visits. It also affects how socially connected someone is and how easily they can get the food they need to stay healthy. For maintaining high levels of health and well-being among middle-aged and older adults, transportation access to healthcare-related services is a critical component. NEMT can assist with this, but there are other other factors that also play a role in determining a person's capacity for mobility, including: Functional ability Issues with behavioral health Financial needs of a vehicle (insurance, gasbuying a vehicle, etc.) Cognitive ability Transportation restrictions are particularly problematic in rural areas where there is little or no access to public transportation. Over 20% of Americans, according to the U.S Census Bureau reside in rural areas, which also have a larger percentage of elderly people with chronic diseases. Because they are farther away than the rest of our community, we cannot abandon a fifth of them. To some extent, NEMT services and NEMT provider technologies can close the gap in these locations, but it's vital to delve more into the potential problems for rural communities and their effects.

The Issues at Hand

When trying to access healthcare services, rural individuals are more likely to encounter specific types of travel difficulties, according to a survey conducted by Rural Health Information Hub about rural vs. urban mobility hurdles. A commute time that is more than twice as long as that of their urban counterparts aggravates some of these. Additionally, after midnight, travel times may be up to 24 minutes longer than during urban evening travel. Another important consideration is that rural members frequently require companionship on their journeys, in addition to transportation. While tools like NEMT technology can assist with overcoming some general travel obstacles, such as removing the hassles of trip planning, issues that call for a professional require more thought. These kind of obstacles and having few transportation options might result in problems like: Higher healthcare costs Treatment disruption Increased likelihood of negative health outcomes Increased feelings of isolation Decrease in overall mental health Delayed or dropped appointments Decreased accessibility of healthcare How Can NEMT Help?

NEMT services reduce barriers to healthcare transportation. NEMT dispatch software solution rigorously focuses on operational care and further provides reliable transportation services. NEMT can help reduce these issues for rural communities Decreased hospital admissions for diabetic adults Increased healthcare utilization Decreased medical expenses

So these communities observed progress merely through NEMT adoption with the aid of NEMT brokers and other NEMT experts. But it wouldn't be difficult to take a few extra actions to see these beneficial improvements enhanced. Here are a few ideas we have: offering companion services as a NEMT service, particularly one that can be booked concurrently with a trip. By doing this, rural populations with a higher proportion of senior citizens using their services won't be discouraged by the lack of companionship. promoting local NEMT service providers and their offerings. People in some rural areas are oblivious of the resources that are accessible to them in different fields, particularly transportation. visiting rural areas and talking with local authorities about the needs of the community. Rural communities differ from one another, and when they feel heard, they are more likely to cooperate with NEMT brokers and other service providers. Since Qryde operates in a sector where the primary goal is to ensure that individuals who require care are not left behind, it is imperative that we discover methods of bringing everyone in, not only communities in convenient locations.

QRyde - The Ultimate Solution QRyde for Healthcare is a cloud-based technology solution that focuses on delivering efficient services and facilitating patient transportation coordination. QRyde specializes in providing NEMT software for brokers and transportation providers.

QRYDE’S KEY FEATURES FOR NEMT Easy-to-use NEMT booking workflow Low-cost trip assignments Automated scheduling AVL-Connects dispatchers to track vehicles Vendor Payment System Reporting Dashboard Interactive Voice Response (IVR)