The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) plays a crucial role in providing comprehensive healthcare services to seniors, with transportation being a vital element of this care. However, rural PACE programs face distinct challenges that set them apart from their urban counterparts.
This blog post delves into the unique hurdles rural PACE transportation services face, explores the debate between insourcing and outsourcing, and highlights the growing need for specialized senior transportation. We’ll also discuss how innovative software solutions can help address these challenges, ensuring efficient and effective PACE transportation operations in rural areas.
Unique Challenges of Rural PACE Transportation Management
It is understood that NEMT services are crucial across all demographics. However, rural areas face distinct challenges that their urban counterparts do not experience. A New England-based (NEHP) Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) highlighted in a study from 2008 these unique hurdles:
Wider Service Area: Unlike the typical urban PACE program that covers an estimated 17-mile radius, this rural program spans a 30-mile radius, increasing overall travel distance and operational complexities.
Lower Participant Density: The vast nature of rural populations leads to longer routes to serve the same or fewer number of participants, spending more time traveling and potentially underusing vehicle capacity.
Higher Costs and Longer Travel Times: The previous two factors contribute to increased fuel consumption, higher maintenance costs, and longer travel times for participants who may find extended trips particularly challenging.
By addressing these hurdles, PACE programs must develop innovative solutions to maintain cost-effectiveness while ensuring high-quality, timely transportation services for its participants. The situations presented in this study illustrate rural PACE centers’ need for a more tailored approach and methods to consider when evaluating their options.
The Insourcing vs. Outsourcing Debate
A debate for PACE programs is whether to insource their transportation services or outsource to transportation providers (TPs). Insourcing services means creating a transportation division within the program, whereas outsourcing these services delegates this task to an external entity like TPs.
The choice of whether to insource or outsource involves carefully weighing various factors:
Cost Analysis: Insourcing often requires significant upfront investment in vehicles, technology, and personnel, while outsourcing involves ongoing service fees.
Operational Control: Insourcing provides greater control over operations, enabling more scheduling and routing management flexibility. Outsourcing can limit control but offer greater access to specialized expertise and resources.
Service Quality: Outsourcing transportation leaves a lot of responsibility on TPs to provide a positive trip experience for participants, which can either benefit or hinder the overall service quality. Insourcing allows PACE programs to visualize the trip experience and compliance management more efficiently.
As a rural PACE program, carefully considering the decision to insource or outsource transportation is crucial due to the unique challenges discussed earlier. The operational complexities faced in a rural setting can potentially be exaggerated due to the increase in the senior population expected over the next ten years.
The Growing Need for Specialized Senior Transportation
As the global population ages, specialized NEMT services become increasingly necessary.
By 2050, the number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to increase from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050 (a 47% increase). The number of people aged 80 or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 , emphasizing the continued demand for specialized NEMT services.
The increase in the senior population over the next decade underscores the importance of developing an efficient and effective PACE transportation operation that caters to the diverse needs of its participants. NEMT plays a crucial role in:
- Ensuring access to essential healthcare services
- Maintaining independence and quality of life for seniors
- Reducing social isolation with continued community involvement
PACE programs should continue to follow industry trends and growth, especially as the senior population increases. Implementing the right NEMT software solution can help address many of the challenges discussed in this article with both PACE and participants in mind.
PACE Transportation Software
Software vendors like Momentm Technologies offer advanced tools that can significantly improve your PACE organization’s operational efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Here is how our solution, NovusMED, tackles specific challenges for rural PACE programs:
Route Optimization: Our advanced algorithms can efficiently plan routes, maximizing vehicle capacity and reducing travel times. NovusMED can improve overall scheduling and dispatching efficiency with automated and batch scheduling and make real-time adjustments for any last-minute changes.
Real-Time Tracking: Our core software solution offers GPS integration and a mobile app (NovusMED Driver), providing accurate ETAs and improving communication between drivers and your dispatch team.
Passenger Portal: allows participants or caregivers to book and manage their trips, view trip history, and update preferences.
Empowering Rural PACE Programs: The Road Ahead
As we look to the future, it’s clear that rural PACE programs must continue to evolve and adapt their transportation strategies. By embracing technological advancements and tailoring their approaches to the unique needs of rural communities, these programs can ensure that seniors receive the comprehensive care they deserve, regardless of their location.
Are you interested in improving your PACE programs’ operational efficiency? Request a demo today and see how NovusMED will transform your transportation service with you and your participants in mind!
