Studies reveal that no shows cost the healthcare industry more than $150 billion (about $460 per person in the US) per year. As a non-emergency medical transportation provider, you know just how costly no shows and dry runs can be. Every time clients fail to show up for a pickup or forget to report a canceled appointment, that means lost revenue and wasted resources, including labor and fuel, for your company.  

One or two ride cancellations may not seem important. However, it does not take long for the effects of these no shows to add up and negatively impact customer satisfaction, scheduling efficiencies, and company profits. It is crucial that your company develop effective measures for reducing no shows and dry runs.

Causes of High No Show Rates

Before you can create an effective strategy for no show reduction, you must first understand the common causes behind no shows and dry runs. Below is a look at some of the most common reasons for no shows.

• Forgetfulness: One of the top reasons for no shows is that the rider simply forgot they had the appointment.
• Illness: An illness or mental health issue could prevent the rider from going to their scheduled appointment.
• Changed or Cancelled Appointment: The passenger's appointment may have been changed or canceled, but the passenger forgot to cancel the transportation service. ‍
• Work Conflicts: The passengers may cancel their appointment because they are unable to get off work on time. ‍
• Personal Issues: Personal issues, such as lack of childcare, may cause a passenger to miss their appointment.

Tips for Reducing No Shows and Dry Runs

You must also know how to reduce NEMT no shows and dry runs. There are several things you can do to minimize the impact of NEMT no shows and dry runs, including:

• Streamline the Scheduling Process: Having an easy process for clients to change appointments as necessary can avoid the risk of no shows. Secondly, using innovative NEMT scheduling software can help you avoid insurance issues and billing inaccuracies. When comparing NEMT scheduling platforms, be sure to assess features and options and evaluate online NEMT software reviews.
• Notifications - Send Out Reminders: One of the top reasons for no shows is forgetfulness. You can help clients with this issue by sending out friendly notification reminders on the day of or a day before the scheduled transportation. 

Solutions for Preventing No Shows

As one of the best NEMT software options, MediRoutes offers a variety of features that can help your company reduce the number of no shows it has. Below is a look at some of these features.

Automated Notifications

Since forgetfulness is one of the prime reasons for no shows, sending out friendly reminders can be one of the top solutions for preventing no shows. With MediRoutes, you can set the system to send out automated reminders to your clients via voice, email, or text message. Passengers, in turn, can confirm the appointment or contact the company to change or cancel the NEMT request.

Optimized NEMT Scheduling

The MediRoutes platform uses an innovative algorithm to determine the best routes to accommodate all scheduled appointments. This feature considers all relevant needs, such as vehicle capacity limits, space types, time schedules, and distances.

While this feature cannot directly prevent no shows, it can reconfigure a new optimized route that accounts for last-minute cancellations or new appointments.

This driver management technique can help to reduce the costs associated with no shows by minimizing deadhead miles and overall travel costs.

Drivers Mobile App

The driver mobile app is a comprehensive drivers' app that works with both Android and iOS phones. Most importantly, this app gives drivers access to a real-time manifest that can change while enroute. This allows dispatchers to quickly change schedules to account for no shows and last-minute cancellations while drivers are on the road. Additionally, this app includes a two-way messaging feature that allows dispatch and drivers to remain in communication.

Strategies for Decreasing Dry Runs

Excessive dry runs can also be costly to the company. Having a strong NEMT business plan in place that addresses these challenges by developing strategies for decreasing dry runs can help. There are also a number of MediRoute’s features that can help your company reduce the costly impact of dry runs, such as:

Automated Billing

MediRoute’s automated billing capabilities allow you to quickly and easily bill for each ride based on the NEMT services offered. It even allows you to set up different rates for various funding sources. Additionally, you can apply these multiple funding sources to one trip, if applicable. This feature can help prevent inaccuracies with billing, speed up the billing process, reduce account receivable aging, and decrease the impact of dry runs. 

Signature Capture

One of MediRoute’s top features for decreasing dry runs is its signature capture tool. This feature allows drivers to obtain each rider’s signature at the time of service. These digital signatures are automatically stored in the desktop application and are instantly available for billing purposes. It avoids the risk of having a claim denied due to a missing signature.

Optimized Scheduling

MediRoute’s optimized scheduling function allows NEMT companies to maximize revenue by avoiding excessive deadhead miles and minimizing travel time. This function uses an advanced algorithm to develop the optimum route for each driver based on various parameters, such as pickup and drop-off times and locations, vehicle capacity, and types of services (e.g., wheelchair, stretcher, or ambulatory assistance). 

Comprehensive Reporting  

A comprehensive reporting system can give NEMT companies real-time tracking of dry runs as well as insights into the causes behind these issues. With MediRoutes, these real-time reports can be broken down by drivers, passengers, insurance providers, locations, pickup times, and more.

These insights may be able to help you determine what is causing excessive dry runs and no shows. For example, are you seeing a lot of cancellations from the same passengers or does a specific doctor’s office change appointments frequently?

NEMT Dispatching

Efficient NEMT dispatching is critical to reducing the impact of no shows and dry runs. When developing a NEMT dispatching process, there are a few things to keep in mind. Here is a look at the top dispatching best practices to consider.

• Two-Way Communication: Any NEMT dispatching process must include two-way communication between drivers and dispatchers. This allows dispatchers to keep drivers up to date concerning any route or passenger changes, such as last-minute cancellations. It also gives drivers the ability to request support from dispatchers when necessary.

• Real-Time Data: Real-time data, such as geo-location tracking, allows dispatchers to know where each driver is. Up-to-date data also helps drivers stay on track and adjust their routes as needed to avoid deadhead miles and excess travel times.

• NEMT Dispatcher Training: The best way to maximize the use of your NEMT dispatch software and maintain an efficient dispatch process is through adequate training. Both drivers and dispatchers should receive NEMT dispatch training to ensure they know all company policies, NEMT regulations, and how to use the software’s features.

• Customer Updates: An efficient NEMT dispatch process can also improve the customer experience. Using geo-tracking, dispatchers can provide passengers with accurate time of arrival estimates.

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation App to the Rescue

MediRoute’s non-emergency medical transportation app provides real-time NEMT dispatcher services. It offers a variety of features that enable dispatchers and drivers to remain in constant communication, provide real-time updates, and improve NEMT efficiencies.

Real-Time GPS Tracking

Geo-tracking through MediRoute’s app provides GPS coordinates for each driver throughout the day. These coordinates are updated every minute to ensure dispatchers know exactly where every driver is. GPS data is also stored for later use.

Driver Manifest Displays

MediRoute’s app sends a driver’s manifest to each driver every day. This manifest displays directly on the driver’s phone and provides routed and turn-by-turn navigation to make travel safe and easy for the driver. The app also allows for real-time updates, and its optimized scheduling feature can automatically update the driver’s manifest to account for last-minute cancellations and same-day appointments.

You do not have to let no shows and dry runs impact your business success. Taking steps now to reduce the impact of these issues can help. Contact us to learn more!