Non-Emergency Medical Transportation in Bethesda, MD

Where we take Bethesda riders

Suburban Hospital, part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, at 8600 Old Georgetown Road, is the community hospital for most of our Bethesda riders. Its garage is entered from Old Georgetown Road and the hospital does not validate parking, so a door-to-door drop-off at the main entrance saves families both the fee and the walk.

The NIH Clinical Center has its own procedure for patients arriving by vehicle: they enter at the West Drive Patient Entrance off West Cedar Lane, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, where the vehicle is inspected and riders pass through screening. We allow time for it in the pickup. Across Rockville Pike, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center sits on Naval Support Activity Bethesda, a military installation with controlled gates and a Visitor Control Center at the North Gate. Tell us it is Walter Reed when you book so we can plan the access ahead of the trip.

Just over the District line, Sibley Memorial Hospital on Loughboro Road is a short run from Bethesda and Chevy Chase. We also run a steady schedule for residents of Maplewood Park Place, Sunrise of Bethesda, Brighton Gardens of Friendship Heights and Sunrise at Fox Hill, and to and from Montcare Bethesda, Sterling Care Bethesda, Carriage Hill Bethesda and Autumn Lake Healthcare at Chevy Chase.

Choosing your level of service

Four options, and the right one depends on how your rider moves rather than how far they are going.

Ambulatory is for someone who can walk to and from the vehicle, with a steadying arm if needed. Ambulatory riders travel in the same minivans and full-size vans as the rest of the fleet, and the driver assists at the door and again at the destination. If the rider can manage the steps with the driver’s help, stairs cost nothing extra.

Wheelchair is for a rider who stays in their chair for the trip. The chair goes up a ramp on our minivans or a hydraulic lift on our full-size vans, and it is secured at four points before the vehicle moves. You do not need to own a wheelchair; we can bring one. See wheelchair transportation in Bethesda for prices and details.

Stretcher is for a rider who cannot sit upright safely for the journey, often after surgery or on discharge to a rehab or skilled nursing facility. Two crew members run every stretcher trip, bed to bed. See stretcher transportation.

Bariatric is for riders over 300 lbs. We use specialized vehicles with wider ramps and roomier interiors, and add a second crew member when the transfer or the route out of the home calls for it. Give us as much notice as you can.

If you are not sure which applies, call and describe the situation. The right vehicle at the door matters more than almost anything else about the booking.

Pickup in Bethesda and Chevy Chase

Downtown Bethesda and Friendship Heights are apartment and condo buildings, many with a garage or a circle at the front; give us the entrance and the unit number and we meet the rider there. Older houses in Chevy Chase and Kensington often have steps up from the walk. Tell us the count, and if a rider in a wheelchair has to come down steps we send a stair chair team, which adds $75 each way.

Senior communities with several buildings, such as Maplewood Park Place or the Fox Hill campus, need the building and the pickup point. Bethesda sits just inside the Capital Beltway near the I-270 spur, and we build the rush hour on Wisconsin Avenue and Rockville Pike into the pickup time.

Dialysis and standing orders

We run standing dialysis schedules for Bethesda riders to Fresenius Kidney Care on Rockledge Drive in North Bethesda and U.S. Renal Care Bethesda on Sangamore Road, and for Kensington riders to Fresenius Kidney Care Wheaton and DaVita Wheaton on Georgia Avenue.

Tell us the center and the chair times once and the three-day schedule stays on our books without rebooking. The same drivers tend to see the same riders, which matters most on the ride home after treatment. See dialysis transportation for details.

Booking, coverage and payment

Dispatch answers around the clock at (703) 304-7889, or you can request a trip online. We need a minimum of three hours notice for same-day requests and discharges; booking 24 hours ahead guarantees availability. Cancel or change at least two hours before pickup to avoid a fee.

Rates. Wheelchair trips start at $55 per leg on a round trip and stretcher trips at $230 per leg, with the same published rates in Virginia, Maryland and DC. The full card is on our rates page, and we quote every trip before you book.

Maryland and DC Medicaid. H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland, so we cannot take Medicaid-covered rides in Montgomery or Prince George’s counties. In Montgomery County, Medicaid transportation is arranged through the county Department of Transportation’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program; start there or with the number on the member’s ID card. In Washington DC, the only Medicaid plan we serve is UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of the District of Columbia, through SafeRide Health. In Montgomery, Prince George’s and DC alike, if your health plan’s ride benefit is administered by SafeRide Health, book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name.

Medicare, private pay and facilities. Original Medicare does not cover wheelchair or stretcher vans; some Medicare Advantage plans include a transportation benefit, and if yours does, ask the plan for H&M Transport by name. Families pay the published rates. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and senior communities book on contracted rates through our facilities program.

Questions we get from Bethesda families

Can you take me from Bethesda into DC or Virginia?

Yes. We hold WMATC authority 3449, which covers trips between Montgomery County, the District and Northern Virginia, at the same rates.

Can you take patients to NIH and Walter Reed?

Yes. At NIH, patient vehicles enter at the West Drive Patient Entrance off West Cedar Lane and are inspected. Walter Reed is on a military installation with controlled gates, so tell us when you book and we plan the access in advance.

How does Medicaid work in Maryland?

H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland. In Montgomery County, Medicaid transportation is arranged through the county Department of Transportation’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program. If your health plan’s ride benefit is administered by SafeRide Health, book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name.

How far ahead should I book?

Three hours is our minimum for same-day requests and discharges. Booking 24 hours ahead guarantees availability, and dialysis riders can set up a standing order.

What if the appointment runs late?

Tell us the expected length when you book. We can schedule prescheduled wait time, or you call dispatch when the rider is ready and we send the van back.

Are you accredited?

Yes. H&M Transport was the first NEMT provider in Virginia to earn NEMTAC accreditation, which audits driver training, securement procedure and vehicle standards.

What we can’t take

H&M Transport runs non-emergency medical transportation. There is no medical care or monitoring on board, we do not take anyone to an emergency room, and we do not move patients between hospitals for a higher level of care. We do run scheduled, stable transfers between facilities, such as hospital to rehab or to a nursing home. If this is a medical emergency, call 911.

Where our drivers start the day

Dispatch sits in Gainesville. The vehicles do not. Our drivers take their vans home, and they live across the whole service area, including the Maryland suburbs and the District. The van that pulls up at your door in Bethesda has usually started its day nearby rather than driving across the region to reach you.

That is why a same-day request is often a shorter wait than a map would suggest, and why a standing order holds week after week: the same driver, starting from the same place, on a route they already know.

More from H&M Transport

Wheelchair transportation in Bethesda · Stretcher transportation · Rockville · Silver Spring · Washington DC · Hospital discharge · Dialysis transportation