Stretcher Transportation in Arlington, VA

What an Arlington stretcher trip involves

Stretcher transportation is for a patient who can’t sit up through the trip. The crew comes to the room with a power-assisted Stryker cot, the two of them move the patient onto it, and it travels flat or reclined. At the destination they transfer the patient into the bed or chair, so nobody waits on a cot in a hallway.

Each crew member is trained through NEMTAC’s Certified Stretcher Operator course and has passed a criminal background check and a drug screen, and H&M Transport was the first Virginia NEMT provider accredited by NEMTAC. With no medical care on board, the ride costs a fraction of an ambulance and is scheduled ahead.

Arlington hospitals and discharges

VHC Health on North George Mason Drive is where most of our Arlington stretcher discharges start. After hours the main hospital is entered through the emergency entrance, so for evening discharges we coordinate the pickup point with the floor; visitors are directed to the green garage in Zone C. Tell us the unit and the crew comes to the room.

Arlington patients also come home from Inova Alexandria Hospital, Inova Fairfax Hospital and the DC hospitals, and we make those runs every week. Discharge planners get a three-hour maximum lead time, and changes are free more than two hours before pickup.

Rehab, skilled nursing and hospice in Arlington

Many Arlington stretcher trips go to or from rehabilitation and skilled nursing. Carlin Springs Health & Rehabilitation on South Carlin Springs Road is a frequent stop, and we run scheduled transfers between facilities when the patient is stable, such as hospital to rehab or rehab to home.

For hospice discharges, we plan the trip around the hospital bed at home and the family waiting there. For recurring outpatient care, including dialysis for riders who can no longer sit through the ride, a standing order keeps the schedule on our books.

Stretcher transportation prices in Arlington

Arlington stretcher fares are set by the 2026 private-pay card: a pick-up fee for the van and its two crew members, then the mileage.

VHC Health to Carlin Springs Health & Rehabilitation is about three miles, so the transfer is $260 plus $12, or $272. A discharge home to Rosslyn is about four miles: $276. To Shirlington is about five miles, or $280.

Extras are listed in the quote: $75 each way for the stair team, $50 for a pickup before 7am or after 6pm, $100 an hour if the crew waits, $30 for an added stop, $35 per 2-liter oxygen tank, and 3% on cards. Our rates page has every line.

STAR, MetroAccess and patients who travel flat

Arlington’s STAR service and MetroAccess carry riders who can sit, in a seat or a wheelchair, and a rideshare needs a passenger who can get in unassisted. A patient who must stay flat needs a stretcher van, or an ambulance if care is needed on the way, so our Arlington stretcher bookings come mostly from discharge planners, rehab and nursing staff, and hospice teams.

Arlington towers, garages and garden apartments

• Service elevators. Most towers in Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, Ballston and Pentagon City want a cot in the service elevator, and some need it reserved. Tell us before the trip.
• Garages. Give us the loading or garage entrance and the clearance if you know it, since a stretcher van stands taller than a car.
• Garden apartments. Older buildings off Columbia Pike and in Buckingham often have entry steps and narrow halls. Tell us the step count and whether the stairway turns, and the stair team comes.
• Oxygen. Note the flow rate in the booking.

Paying for an Arlington stretcher ride

Virginia Medicaid. For covered medical care, a Virginia Medicaid member pays nothing for a stretcher ride, and the plan’s broker arranges it; it isn’t booked directly 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 covers how it works.

Medicare. Original Medicare covers an ambulance when it’s medically necessary and documented, never a stretcher van. If a Medicare Advantage plan’s ride benefit is administered by MTM Health or SafeRide Health, book through the plan and request H&M Transport.

Private pay and facilities. Families booking directly pay the published card, without a doctor’s order. Hospitals, rehab and nursing centers and hospices book on contracted rates through our facilities page.

Booking an Arlington stretcher trip

Call (703) 304-7889 for a same-day trip or a discharge, with three hours’ notice at least; most requests fit inside that. A trip booked the day before is guaranteed, and a call or text confirms the booking within two hours.

Tell us the unit, the destination, the patient’s weight, any oxygen and its flow rate, and the building details: the loading entrance, the elevator and the steps. The stair team is $75 each way, and patients over 300 lbs need bariatric service with its reinforced cot.

Cancel or change for free more than two hours before pickup; after that, or if no one is there, it’s $50. Phone, email Reservations@hmtransport.com or use the app.

Stretcher transportation in Arlington: common questions

What does a stretcher transfer from VHC Health to Carlin Springs cost?

About $272. That’s the $260 pick-up fee and roughly three miles at $4.00 each. If the patient comes back the same day, each leg is $230 instead, because both legs fit inside the five included miles.

Can you pick up a stretcher discharge at VHC Health in the evening?

Yes. After hours the main hospital is entered through the emergency entrance, so for an evening discharge we agree a pickup point with the floor; give us the unit and three hours’ notice.

Can you bring a patient home to Arlington from a DC hospital?

Yes, from any DC hospital and from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. WMATC authority 3449 covers those trips, Virginia DMV Certificate #524 covers the Arlington end, and the rates are the same.

Can you get a stretcher out of a high-rise?

Yes. Give us the loading entrance, the service elevator and any reservation the building needs, and the crew brings the cot up to the apartment.

Do you move patients from the hospital to rehab?

Yes, as a scheduled transfer once the patient is stable, including to Carlin Springs or any other rehab or nursing center. A move to another hospital for a higher level of care is an ambulance trip.

Why are two people sent on every stretcher trip?

Moving an adult from a bed onto a cot, through a building and back into a bed at the other end takes two people to do safely, so every trip has two crew members.

Does Medicaid cover stretcher rides in Arlington?

Yes, for covered medical care, and the patient pays nothing; the trip is set up by Medicaid’s broker rather than by 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.

Stretcher van or ambulance?

Our vans move stable patients lying down, with no medical care or monitoring on board. We don’t drive to emergency rooms or move a patient to another hospital for a higher level of care, though scheduled transfers between facilities are part of the job. If this is a medical emergency, call 911. If a rider becomes unwell, the driver stops safely and calls 911.

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