Stretcher Transportation in Alexandria, VA

How an Alexandria stretcher trip works

This service is for patients who can’t safely sit upright for the trip. The two-person crew transfers the patient from the bed to a power-assisted Stryker cot that can lie flat or recline, wheels it out, and at the destination moves the patient into the bed, chair or exam table rather than leaving them on the cot.

Our crews have finished NEMTAC’s Certified Stretcher Operator course and passed background and drug screening, and NEMTAC accredited H&M Transport before any other NEMT provider in Virginia. There’s no medical care on board, so the trip costs a fraction of an ambulance and is scheduled like an appointment.

Alexandria hospitals and discharges

Inova Alexandria Hospital on Seminary Road is a regular Alexandria discharge for us. The campus has separate emergency, surgery and patient and visitor entrances, with the Casey Health Center and the Health & Education Center on site; tell us the unit and the crew goes to the room. Inova plans to move the hospital to the former Landmark Mall site, with opening scheduled for 2028.

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital on Parkers Lane, with free parking, covers the southern end. Fort Belvoir Community Hospital sits on a military installation: a patient with a Defense Department ID goes straight through the gate, but our crew and any family without one need a sponsored pass set up in advance, so tell us early. Discharge planners get a three-hour maximum lead time.

Rehab, skilled nursing and hospice in Alexandria

A large share of Alexandria stretcher trips go to or from rehabilitation, skilled nursing and senior communities such as Goodwin House on Fillmore Avenue. We run scheduled transfers between facilities when the patient is stable, such as hospital to rehab or hospital to a nursing home, and hospice discharges home.

For dialysis riders who can no longer manage a chair, we run standing stretcher schedules to centers such as DaVita Alexandria on Duke Street and the Alexandria Kidney Center at 4141 Duke Street.

Stretcher transportation prices in Alexandria

Alexandria stretcher fares use the 2026 private-pay card: a pick-up fee that covers the van and both crew members, plus mileage.

Inova Alexandria to Goodwin House on Fillmore Avenue is under two miles, so that transfer is $260 plus $8, or $268. Home to Old Town from the hospital is about four miles: $276. A patient coming home to Old Town from Inova Fairfax, about 15 miles by the Beltway, pays $320.

Every extra is in the quote: the stair team at $75 each way, $50 before 7am or after 6pm, $100 an hour of booked waiting, $30 for another stop, $35 per 2-liter tank of oxygen, and 3% on card payments. See the rates page for the full card.

DOT Paratransit, MetroAccess and patients on a cot

Alexandria’s DOT Paratransit and MetroAccess carry riders who sit up, in a seat or a wheelchair, and a rideshare driver can’t load someone who can’t get in by themselves. A patient who has to lie down needs a stretcher van, or an ambulance if they need care en route, which is why most of our Alexandria stretcher calls come from discharge planners, rehab and nursing staff, and hospice teams.

Old Town stairs, West End towers and tight streets

• Rowhouses. Old Town houses open onto brick sidewalks with steps up to the door and steep, narrow stairs inside. Give us the step count and say whether the stairway turns; the stair team does this every week.
• Towers. West End buildings along Seminary Road, Van Dorn and Duke Street send a cot through the loading entrance and the service elevator. Tell us both.
• Loading room. The van needs space behind it to load the cot. On a tight Old Town block, an alley or a rear door is the easier way in.
• Oxygen. Tell us the flow rate when you book.

Paying for an Alexandria stretcher ride

Virginia Medicaid. A Virginia Medicaid member on the way to covered care pays nothing for the stretcher ride, and it’s arranged by the plan’s broker instead of booked with us. Call the transportation number on your Medicaid ID card; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. Request H&M Transport specifically when you book your ride. Our Virginia Medicaid transportation guide has the details.

Medicare. Original Medicare won’t pay for a stretcher van, only for an ambulance that’s medically necessary and documented. If the patient’s Medicare Advantage plan has a ride benefit run by MTM Health or SafeRide Health, book through the plan and name H&M Transport.

Private pay and facilities. Private-pay patients pay the published card, no doctor’s order needed. Hospitals, rehab and nursing centers and hospices book on contracted rates; see our facilities page.

Booking an Alexandria stretcher trip

For a same-day trip or a discharge, call (703) 304-7889 with at least three hours’ notice; we cover most requests inside that window. Trips booked a day ahead are guaranteed, and each booking is confirmed by call or text within two hours.

In the booking, give us the unit, the destination, the patient’s weight, any oxygen and its flow rate, and the stairs at home and whether they turn. The stair team adds $75 each way, and a patient over 300 lbs needs bariatric service with the reinforced cot.

There’s no fee to cancel or change more than two hours before pickup; inside that, or for a no-show, it’s $50. Phone, email Reservations@hmtransport.com or use the app.

Stretcher transportation in Alexandria: common questions

What does a stretcher discharge from Inova Alexandria to Old Town cost?

About $276 for the four-mile trip, since a one-way stretcher ride is $260 plus $4.00 a mile. A round trip is $230 per leg, with five miles included on each leg and $4.00 a mile beyond.

Can you take a stretcher discharge from Inova Alexandria?

Yes, with three hours’ notice. Tell us the unit and the entrance, and the crew goes up to the room and takes the patient all the way into bed at home.

Can you pick up at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital?

Yes. A patient with a Defense Department ID goes straight in; our crew needs a sponsored pass arranged ahead, so give us the appointment or discharge time as early as you can.

Can you get a stretcher up the stairs of an Old Town house?

Usually. The stair team carries the patient on a stair chair or the cot, depending on the width and the turn, so tell us the step count and the layout when you book.

Do you move patients from the hospital to rehab or a nursing home?

Yes, as a scheduled transfer once the patient is stable, whether it’s to Goodwin House, a rehab center on Route 1 or a nursing home. Transfers to another hospital for a higher level of care go by ambulance.

Can a family member come along in the stretcher van?

In most cases, yes. Mention it when you book so we send a van with a seat available.

Does Medicaid cover stretcher rides in Alexandria?

For covered medical trips, yes, and the patient pays nothing; Medicaid’s broker sets the ride up rather than our dispatchers. Call the transportation number on your Medicaid ID card; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. Request H&M Transport specifically when you book your ride.

Stretcher van or ambulance?

We carry stable patients lying down, without medical monitoring or care on board. We don’t take anyone to an emergency room or move a patient to another hospital for a higher level of care; we do run scheduled transfers between facilities, such as hospital to rehab. If this is a medical emergency, call 911. If a rider becomes unwell, the driver stops safely and calls 911.

More from H&M Transport near Alexandria

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