The right level of transportationfor every patient need
General Medical moves patients who cannot safely drive, ride in a car, or travel without support. Some of those trips need an accessible vehicle and a trained attendant. Others need a licensed crew and monitoring the whole way. This page explains the difference, so nobody has to diagnose themselves before booking.
For a life-threatening emergency, call 911. This website is not monitored for emergencies.
Two pathways
Most trips fall clearly into one of these. If you are not sure which applies, choose either and our team will confirm the right level with you.
Non-Emergency Medical Transportation
Scheduled transportation for patients who need an accessible vehicle and trained assistance, but no clinical care on the way — wheelchair, gurney and bariatric gurney.
Read moreAmbulance & Critical Care Transport
Licensed crews for planned transports where the patient needs monitoring or clinical support in transit — BLS, ALS and critical care transport.
Read more
Service-level guide
A plain-language comparison. It is a starting point for the conversation, not an eligibility decision.
| Level | How the patient travels | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelchair | Seated in their own wheelchair, secured in an accessible vehicle | Appointments, dialysis, therapy visits, discharges home |
| Gurney | Lying down, without clinical care required in transit | Patients who cannot sit upright, facility transfers, discharges |
| Bariatric gurney | Lying down, with higher-capacity equipment and additional staffing | Transports where standard equipment cannot carry the patient safely |
| BLS | By ambulance, with a basic life support crew | Stable patients who need trained clinical attendance on the way |
| ALS | By ambulance, with an advanced life support crew | Patients whose condition requires advanced interventions in transit |
| CCT | By ambulance, with a critical care team and equipment | Higher-acuity interfacility transfers under continuous clinical care |
The final level of care is determined by the sending clinician's order, the patient's assessment, and applicable requirements — not by the booking form.
Who we transport
Common reasons patients and facilities call us.
- Hospital discharges going home or to a skilled nursing facility
- Scheduled appointments, including recurring treatment
- Dialysis runs on a standing weekly schedule
- Facility-to-facility transfers arranged with both sites
- Patients who cannot transfer into a car without help
- Higher-acuity transfers that need clinical attendance throughout
Safety and dignity
The parts of a transport that patients remember are rarely the vehicle.
Trained crews
Crews are trained for the equipment they operate and the patients they carry, and their training is documented and kept current.
Securement done properly
Wheelchairs are secured to the vehicle and the passenger is belted separately, every trip, without shortcuts under time pressure.
Infection control
Vehicles and equipment are cleaned between patients according to our written protocol.
Communication and handoff
Sending and receiving staff are told what to expect, and the patient is handed over in person rather than left at a desk.
For facilities
Discharge planners, case managers and facility schedulers work with a single point of contact.
Standing orders
Recurring trips set up once — dialysis, infusion, therapy — instead of rebooked every week.
Discharge coordination
Pickup windows planned around bed availability and the receiving site, not around the first free vehicle.
Account setup
Billing, authorization and documentation arranged up front so transport is not the step that stalls a discharge.
Common questions
How much notice do you need?
Recurring trips are best set up as a standing schedule. For a single trip, contact us as early as you can and we will tell you honestly what is available for the date and time you need.
Can a family member or caregiver ride along?
Usually yes, and it helps. Tell us when you book so the assigned vehicle has a seat, because that depends on the vehicle and the equipment the trip requires.
Do you offer wait-and-return trips?
For some appointments, yes. It depends on the length of the appointment and the schedule that day, so confirm it with us at the time of booking rather than assuming it.
What if the patient travels with oxygen?
Patients travelling with their own portable oxygen can usually be carried on non-emergency transportation. If oxygen has to be administered or monitored in transit, ambulance transport is the right service instead.
Do you cover my area?
Service areas differ by service line. Check the service area page, or ask us about a specific pickup and destination. Availability and coverage vary by service, location, clinical need, authorization, and payer requirements.