How much does a no-show cost your operation? If you’re not sure, then this is a sign you need to consider automation software. Whether you are a NEMT provider working with a state brokerage house or a PACE organization providing transportation services, no-shows and late cancelations have a major impact to the bottom line. In some states, of course, no-shows don’t count towards loaded mileage and aren’t eligible for reimbursement, so the expenses are even more devastating. As well, in most states, wait times are not be eligible for additional payment, so unless you’ve made a prior agreement to address the added time required to wait for a client or participant, money is being lost.
Costs May Not Be Measurable
Costs vary. We can estimate the revenue per mile per day that is lost when a no-show occurs. Costs that factor into the calculation are:
- Loss of reimbursement revenue
- Amount of wasted gas
- The time a driver/vehicle is not operating loaded mileage
But on top of these, there are a great many other less tangible variables that affect your operation. For example, unless you’re employing automation and NEMT software solution, a no-show can destabilize and confuse the day’s schedule. Dispatchers will waste valuable minutes deciding where to send the vehicle next; what to tell the driver; whether to establish contact via cellphone or over the radio. Time and effort is wasted in trying to recalculate the remaining day’s trips. There is an increased risk to the remaining trips not being fulfilled properly. Confusion and delays mean that call takers can’t respond with accuracy to clients or participants enquiring about the status of their rides. And this is only one day of operation. What about the next day’s trips already being scheduled?
How Can a Notification System Help?
What is your plan to deal with wait times, no-shows and even late cancelations? The odds are your plan starts by enabling your communication network. A client calls in, canceling a trip. You then need to both log the cancelation in order to manage the remaining trips for the day, as well as inform drivers as quickly as possible. If a no-show occurs, the driver needs to convey this information quickly and dispatchers need to adjust the schedule while also filing a report on the incident to keep records on a client’s history of no-shows for future reporting and penalty procedures. You can see how NEMT software is useful in this situation due to its capacity to record and share accurate information in real time. But what can be done to reduce the rate of no-shows themselves?
A notification system alerts clients and participants about their impending trip. They can receive a call the day before or moments before their vehicle is set to arrive. Traditional IVR systems have been used for phone calls, but there are more modern methods for communicating through SMS and email as well. Notifications improve the functionality of your existing NEMT software solution. When a cancelation occurs, for example, the information is immediately logged and shared between the office database as well as drivers in the field that are connected through a peripheral in-vehicle mobile data computer system or application.
NEMT Software Provides the Key
In order for all the moving parts to be monitored and controlled by office managers, schedulers and dispatchers, NEMT software is the key to operations. And the key to keeping your database current and operating at full capacity is the information it receives from both drivers and updates from clients/participants through their interaction with a notification system.
TripSpark has recently launched a cloud-based Notification System. It has the capacity to transmit automated messages via SMS text message, email and over traditional phone lines. It can send information and gather updates that can immediately get passed through your system to all stakeholders. Talk to a specialist today about this affordable tool that can have a major impact on the frequency and therefore costs associated with no-shows, cancelations and driver wait times.
