Non-Emergency Medical Transportation in Washington, DC

Where we take DC riders

The Irving Street campus in Northwest is the busiest medical address in the District for our riders. MedStar Washington Hospital Center at 110 Irving Street NW has valet at the main entrance on weekdays and a 24-hour garage, and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital sits next door at 102 Irving Street. Tell us the building and the entrance and the driver stops at the right door.

Across town, we drive riders to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Reservoir Road, where patient drop-off is at street level in front of the Verstandig Pavilion; to George Washington University Hospital at 900 23rd Street NW in Foggy Bottom; to Sibley Memorial Hospital on Loughboro Road, where patient valet runs at the Building B circle on weekday mornings and afternoons; and to Howard University Hospital on Georgia Avenue.

East of the river, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health opened in April 2025 on the St. Elizabeths East campus in Ward 8, replacing United Medical Center. Some families still give us the old Southern Avenue address, so we confirm before the trip.

We also run scheduled trips to the District’s long-term care and rehab facilities, including BridgePoint’s hospitals on Capitol Hill and on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW, and to senior communities such as Knollwood, Ingleside at Rock Creek and Forest Hills of DC.

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 Washington DC 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 in Washington DC.

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 the District

DC pickups are rarely about distance and almost always about the curb. Rowhouses often have steps up from the sidewalk, apartment buildings may have a side or garage entrance that suits a van better than the front door, and on a busy street the driver needs a place to stop safely while the chair or the cot is loaded.

When you book, tell us the number of steps and whether there is a railing, the entrance and unit number, and anything the building needs from us, such as a call to the front desk. If a rider in a wheelchair has to come down steps, we send a stair chair team, which adds $75 each way. We build rush hour on the bridges and the main avenues into the pickup time rather than hoping for a light day.

Dialysis and standing orders

Dialysis is the ride we run most often, and DC riders are treated at centers in every quadrant: Fresenius centers at Dupont Circle, in Columbia Heights on the Irving Street campus and in Brookland; DaVita Brentwood and DaVita Lee Street in Northeast; Capitol Dialysis on Q Street NE; and RAI Potomac and DaVita GWU Southeast east of the river.

Tell us the center and the chair times once and a standing order keeps the three-day schedule on our books without rebooking. The same drivers tend to see the same riders, which matters most on the ride home, when a rider coming off treatment may be tired and slower on the transfer. See dialysis transportation for how standing orders work.

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.

DC Medicaid. In Washington DC, the only Medicaid plan we serve is UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of the District of Columbia, through SafeRide Health: members book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name. Members of other DC Medicaid plans arrange their rides through the transportation number on their ID card. H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland. In DC, Montgomery and Prince George’s 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 Washington DC families

Can you take a DC rider to an appointment in Virginia or Maryland?

Yes. We hold WMATC authority 3449, which covers trips between the District, Northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs, on one booking at the same rates.

Does DC Medicaid cover rides with H&M Transport?

Only for members of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of the District of Columbia, through SafeRide Health: book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name. Members of other DC Medicaid plans use the transportation number on their ID card. If any health plan’s ride benefit is administered by SafeRide Health, you can book through the plan and ask for us.

How is this different from MetroAccess?

MetroAccess requires certification, is booked in advance with no same-day trips, and runs shared, curb-to-curb rides. We need no certification, take same-day requests with three hours notice, and help the rider from inside the home to the appointment.

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 Washington DC 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 Washington DC · Stretcher transportation in Washington DC · Silver Spring · Bethesda · Arlington · Alexandria · Hospital discharge · Dialysis transportation