You Want More Trips? So Does Every Other Provider.

Provider. Broker. Software. Morgan has seen the NEMT industry from every angle. This series is your inside scoop into Non-Emergency Medical Transportation: honest answers and actionable advice to help you navigate the chaos and scale your business.

One year, right before Mardi Gras, a new NEMT Company in New Orleans called me and said:

“I don’t want beads; I want trips. Call me all Mardi Gras week.”

I said “Great, I’ll tell dispatch”

If you’ve ever worked in New Orleans, you know during Mardi Gras, crowds are everywhere, roads close, it’s chaos. Many Transportation Companies close up or work a modified schedule, but people still must get to medical appointments.

What this provider didn’t know was that the dispatch team wrote a note on the whiteboard:

“Give all New Orleans trips to [this provider] phone.” Along with their phone and e-mail address.

The Investment of Availability

That week leading up to Mardi Gras, he answered every call. He took 3 trips total for Mardi Gras day.

By some chance, the dispatchers didn’t need much from him that week. To the outsider, 3 trips sound like a waste of time. But somehow, within a month or two, his trip volume had almost doubled.

The note had stayed on the board for a month.

Even after the board was erased, dispatchers just kept calling him because he made their jobs easier. He took almost every trip they ever called him about, had no complaints from riders, and was always on time, so they never got calls from riders looking for his company.

The Financial Reality Check

I’ve also worked with transportation companies who had almost the exact same story—except they closed shops after 6 months.

So, what was the difference between the New Orleans provider and the ones who failed?

The difference was they knew what things cost them.

The successful provider could calculate costs quickly and accept as many trips as they could at least break even on. It didn’t matter where or when; they wanted it. They viewed the low-margin trips as the cost of acquiring the high-volume relationship.

How to Talk to Brokers

When I was working at brokerages, the companies that were the most successful were easy to reach, friendly, and persistently good at what they did. They didn’t take every trip, but they would take things if we were in a jam most of the time.

They proactively asked questions like:

• “Are there times of day you struggle with coverage?”
• “Would earlier mornings or later nights help?”
• “Do weekends cause problems?”
• “Are there trip types that are hard to place?”

They also knew exactly how much money they would lose or make on each trip.

The Takeaway

Not every trip will be perfect. The successful people I’ve worked with don’t take bad trips forever, but they understand that this is a relationship business. There has to be an emphasis on both Relationships and Business, whether you like it or not.

Meet Morgan: The Guy Who’s Sat in Every Chair

• The Provider: Started in the trenches. Started by managing and growing a fleet to become the largest private fleet in the state. 
• The Broker: He took a 13-van fleet and scaled it into the state's #1 operator for Medicaid brokers. Managed operations for a nationwide NEMT broker, gaining a behind-the-scenes understanding of how trip placement and performance work.
• The Software: Now at MediRoutes, he helps owners improve dispatch and operations using the exact strategies that scaled his own career.

Have a question or want to talk more with Morgan?