Transportation Home After a Colonoscopy or Endoscopy

Why a rideshare isn’t allowed

It isn’t the center being difficult. Sedation for a colonoscopy — usually propofol or a midazolam and fentanyl combination — leaves people impaired for hours in ways they consistently underestimate. Judgment and memory are affected before coordination is, which is exactly why patients feel fine and are not.

The requirement is for a responsible adult who takes custody of you at discharge. A rideshare driver is a stranger with no obligation to you, who will not come inside, will not sign anything, and will not notice if you get out at the wrong address. Many centers are explicit that this does not satisfy the requirement, and some will cancel the procedure on the day if you arrive without a plan.

That’s the gap we fill. Our drivers walk in, identify themselves to the discharge nurse, and assist you from the recovery area to the vehicle and from the vehicle to your door.

How the ride works

Book the round trip. Out in the morning and back when the center calls, on one reservation. That’s usually cheaper than two separate one-ways, and the return is already on our board.

The return is a call-back, not a fixed time. Nobody knows exactly when you’ll be discharged. You or the center calls dispatch when recovery is nearly done and we come. Tell us at booking roughly when the procedure is scheduled and we’ll plan the window.

Tell us if you’d rather wait. For a procedure this short, having the vehicle wait is often the better answer — prescheduled wait time is $75 an hour for a wheelchair or ambulatory vehicle, and it removes the uncertainty entirely.

Tell us about stairs at home. Coming out of sedation and going up an unfamiliar flight is where this trip can go wrong. If there are steps, say so when you book.

What it costs

A one-way ride by ambulatory or wheelchair transportation is $90 plus $3 a mile. Booked as a round trip — out and back on the same reservation — it is $55 per leg with five miles included on each, which comes in under two one-ways for trips under about eight miles.

Our rate card and trip estimator are published, so you can price the ride before you call. Colonoscopy transport is nearly always private pay. For a covered procedure under Virginia Medicaid: 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. In DC we serve UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of the District of Columbia members through SafeRide Health, and we are not a Maryland Medicaid provider. Original Medicare doesn’t pay for these vans, but a Medicare Advantage plan whose ride benefit runs through MTM Health or SafeRide Health can send the trip to us.

Procedure trips that need an ambulance

We take patients to the endoscopy center and home after sedation; the ride is transport, not treatment.

A patient who needs an emergency room, on-board monitoring or a transfer to a hospital for a higher level of care needs an ambulance, not our van. If a rider becomes unwell, the driver stops safely and calls 911.

If this is a medical emergency, call 911.

If you can’t tell which you need, call and describe the patient; we’ll tell you when it’s an ambulance trip.

Common questions

Can I take an Uber or taxi home after a colonoscopy?

Endoscopy and surgery centers generally won’t release a sedated patient to a rideshare or taxi driver. Our driver comes inside, meets you at discharge and walks you from recovery to the van and from the van to your door, and many local centers accept us as your ride. Confirm with your center when you schedule, and tell us the procedure time so we can plan the pickup. A family member is welcome to ride along.

What if recovery runs long or I don’t know when I’ll be discharged?

Make the return a will-call. You or the center calls dispatch as recovery is nearly done and a driver heads over; call once you’re released and a driver arrives within 45 minutes. The earlier the call, the shorter the wait. A driver can wait on site instead at $75 an hour for wheelchair trips or $100 an hour for stretcher.

How do I ask for H&M Transport through Virginia Medicaid?

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. Covered rides cost the member nothing.

Book the ride

Book ahead if you can: a booking the day before is guaranteed, and endoscopy schedules cluster in the mornings, and so do we.

Dispatch picks up at (703) 304-7889 around the clock, or begin on our reservations page and we’ll ring you. A same-day ride needs three hours’ notice; a text or call confirms the booking within two hours. Moving the pickup is free more than two hours before pickup, while a later change or a no-show is $50.

Procedure rides run across Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, with WMATC authority 3449 for the District and Maryland and Virginia DMV Certificate #524 for Virginia.