Most people, especially senior citizens or baby boomers, people with disabilities, and low-income people face one problem when they need to go for physician visits, treatment, or other types of medical appointments; and that is the problem of transportation.
Although private medical transportation businesses have been established to meet the needs of people who don’t have family or friends available to drive them to a doctor’s appointment or nursing home, the ones available are too few to cater for the booming demand for this service, which is due to the increasing senior population.
A good business idea is to start a private medical transportation business. With the huge demand, it won’t take long before you will start making good income and expand your expertise as well. Below are the steps involved in starting a non-emergency medical transportation business.
Starting a Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Service – Sample Business Plan Template
1. Get a vehicle
To start a medical transport business, whether emergency or non-emergency; the most important equipment you will need is an ambulance or van. You will need to get one with a manual or hydraulic lift to accommodate wheelchairs. If your vehicle cannot take wheelchairs and stretchers, you will be limiting the services you provide and missing out on lots of money, since many of your clients will be wheelchair users.
If you cannot afford to buy a vehicle that can accommodate wheelchairs from the start, you can use your first vehicle temporarily until you can afford one. The most important thing is to have a reliable vehicle that can accommodate different disabilities and medical conditions. You will need to have it refitted to include the lift. If you don’t have a vehicle, you might want to take a loan or approach alternative sources of funding.
2. Obtain a license
The law in some states and countries requires medical transportation businesses to obtain a license before they can operate. Usually, this process involves submitting your application and proof of vehicle ownership and insurance, and payment of licensing fee. Your vehicle may also be inspected to make sure it is safe for transporting clients.
3. Insure your business
Offering medical transportation services goes beyond driving people. It also involves loading and unloading patients and elderly people; what this mean in essence is that many things could go wrong. So, you want to have good insurance.
Having adequate coverage make things easier when there is a claim. So, it’s a very good idea to get both automobile and professional liability insurance.
4. Arrange to accept insurance
Some insurance companies will pay for private medical transportation. You can approach such companies and work with them to become an approved medical transportation service provider. This allows you receive insurance payments for some clients you support, which means the insurance company (and not the client) will pay for your services for these clients. Of course, you will do more transports because more people will use your services if the insurance pays for it.
5. Establish your fees and business policies
It goes without saying that you will need to set your prices. When doing this, you should consider the operating costs of your business, such as vehicle maintenance, fuel, and employee wages (if you hire a driver). You will also need to establish payment policies such as whether you will accept payment upfront or after service delivery.
6. Market your business
Promoting your business is only way to tell people it exists and the only way to attract clients. To spread word about your medical transportation business, you can advertise on radio, TV, and newspaper.
However, the more targeted your marketing campaign is, the more effective it will be, and the more clients you will attract. So, it is more profitable to market your business at doctor’s offices, nursing homes, dialysis centers, and other places frequently visited by your potential clients.
You can also network with physicians and other health care professionals so that they can recommend your services to their patients.
So far, you have learned the steps you will need to follow to set up a medical transport business. As your business grows, you will need to hire additional employees to assist you. You will also need to set up a dispatch center to handle calls for service. Finally, you must bear in mind that you will certainly face competition, as there will be some local businesses around you rendering medical transportation services. So, you will surely face challenges.
But you can overcome these challenges by devising strategies for beating the competition. You might decide to provide discount for the first few orders or multiple trips. If you work diligently and are punctual, polite, and reliable, your business will grow.
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