5 Ways NEMT Software Can Help Your PACE Agency Provide Better Service

If you’re a provider of Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) services, you understand just how important reliable, quality transportation services are for the people you serve.

The goal for PACE is to help seniors live as independently as possible for as long as they can. That means helping seniors get the medical services they need without having to go to a nursing home or other care facility. Transportation to PACE centers and to other locations within the community is a critical piece of care.

But managing transportation services is challenging. You have drivers to manage. Vehicles to keep safe and serviced. Clients to schedule. Routes to map. Billing. Payments. Customer service. How do you manage it all while still keeping the care and safety of your clients top of mind?

Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) software can help. 

First, what is PACE?

PACE agencies help seniors get care and services in a variety of settings including their own homes, through community services, and in PACE centers. Many patients receive Medicare and Medicaid services in a PACE facility.

In the United States, 31 states have PACE programs with more than 263 PACE Centers serving community needs. 

According to the National PACE Association, PACE covers medical care including prescription drugs, check-ups, hospital visits, home care, and when necessary, nursing home stays. PACE also covers transportation to these services, which can be enhanced with an NEMT software solution.

Here are 5 ways NEMT software can help you provide better service for PACE clients:

Rider Portal

In addition to providing transportation to some medical appointments within a community, PACE also provides transportation to PACE centers for activities or medical appointments. On average, a PACE participant will make about 16 trips each month for PACE services.

NEMT software can help your PACE center schedule these appointments without tying up your staff. While your team members can always take calls and enter appointments in your NEMT software, many centers prefer the convenience that allows clients to schedule their own rides through a Rider Portal.

With TripMaster, for example, your riders can schedule ride requests directly from a computer or smartphone. 

If your clients have Rider Delegates, for example service providers who can make appointments for them, then they too can schedule a ride for your client directly through the rider portal. The online portal means no more long waits in phone queues and ultimately happier clients.

Automated scheduling

NEMT software can also help lessen the headaches that often accompany manual scheduling using calendars, spreadsheets, or other disparate services.

An NEMT scheduling solution with an automated scheduling engine means your software can generate accurate schedules to keep your fleet on schedule, helping ensure your PACE center meets your On-Time Performance (OTP) mandates for ADA transit providers.

An automated scheduling component within your NEMT software also means you can stay within your agency’s ride capacity and still meet individual’s mobility needs with automated schedules that decrease vehicle mileage and drive time. 

You can even customize your settings to meet your agency’s specific scheduling requirements and track efficiencies to see how well your team is doing to provide the most efficient service for your riders and your agency goals.

No forgotten appointments

Forgetting appointments can happen to the best of us, but unfortunately, it can be a costly issue for transit service providers. NEMT scheduling software can reduce the chance of missed appointments by automating call reminders for your riders.

To help ensure your clients don’t miss important appointments, NEMT scheduling software can send out automated call and text reminders about pick-up days and times. 

These reminders let your riders know when to expect a driver to arrive, when they should be ready to leave, and how to contact your company if there are issues or delays. If your rider has multiple appointments in a single day, the reminders can also alert them to all the stops they’ve scheduled and when they’ll be picked up and dropped off at each.

Simplified payments and billing

PACE provides care and services that are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. That means your center must have accurate and timely billing.

NEMT software gives you all the data you need—in a single platform—to handle your Medicare and Medicaid billing. For example, the software has all of your client contact information, as well as route information including times, appointment location, and the number of miles driven for each trip. This ensures you have accurate mileage for appropriate billing.

If your trips require customer signatures, you can collect digital signatures within the vehicle with a mobile data terminal. With TripMaster, for example, your driver can download the ParaScope app right to a smartphone or tablet with a touchscreen. 

ParaScope displays all the trip information in real time including pick-up and drop-off odometer readings and GPS-assisted navigation. Once a trip is complete, the rider can sign the touchscreen to complete the transaction. That information is automatically available throughout your system so you can quickly facilitate billing for faster reimbursement.

The software can even automatically generate bills for you, which frees up your staff for other tasks and also reduces the potential for human errors.

Accurate mapping

No matter if your fleet is one vehicle or 100, your agency needs to know where your drivers are, where they’re going, and if they’re on time.

NEMT software with automated vehicle location (AVL) means you can always see where your fleet is, in near-real time. AVL can track vehicle location and speed. You can even see all your fleet in a standalone map display for simplified tracking. 

With color-coded imagery, you get quick insight into each driver’s OTP. This insight means that if you need to adjust routes or schedules, you can do so in near-real time to always improve your efficiency and service.

Better service with NEMT software

PACE is a proven cost-saver for Medicaid services. On average, states pay PACE programs about 13% less than the cost of other Medicaid services. It also helps decrease ER visits, decrease hospital admissions, and reduce rehospitalizations.

NEMT software can help further increase cost-savings by improving operational efficiencies for transportation services including:

• Decreased labor costs
• Better OTP
• Increased number of passengers using services

Are you ready to see how NEMT scheduling software can help you provide better PACE transportation services? Find out how the industry’s top-rated NEMT software can help your PACE agency operate more efficiently. Call us at (800) 704-0064 or email sales@cts-software.com to find out more about TripMaster or schedule a demo.