Stretcher Transportation Services in Northern Virginia, DC & Maryland

Bed-to-bed stretcher transport, not an ambulance

A stretcher van sits between a wheelchair van and an ambulance. Like an ambulance, it carries the rider lying flat or reclined on a cot, with two crew to handle the transfer. Unlike an ambulance, there is no medical care on board, which is why a stretcher trip costs a fraction of an ambulance bill and can be scheduled like any other appointment.

We run it bed-to-bed. The crew comes to the room, not the front door. They transfer the rider from the bed to the cot, take them out of the home or facility and into the van, secure the cot, and at the other end bring the rider inside and transfer them into the bed, chair or exam table waiting for them. The rider stays on the cot for the whole journey, flat or reclined depending on what is comfortable.

If the rider can sit upright safely for the whole trip, wheelchair transportation is the right level and costs much less. If they are over 300 pounds, book bariatric transport so the reinforced cot and extra crew are assigned from the start. And if the rider needs medical monitoring during the trip, that is an ambulance, not us.

Who needs stretcher transportation

Stretcher service is for riders who cannot safely sit upright in a wheelchair for the length of the trip. In practice that usually means:

• Riders who are bedbound, or who spend most of the day in bed.
• Patients going home or on to rehab after surgery, especially hip, spine and abdominal procedures.
• Riders with paralysis, severe contractures or conditions that make sitting painful.
• Riders with pressure injuries or wounds that sitting would aggravate.
• Frail or elderly riders in a decline, including hospice patients going home.
• Riders on portable oxygen who also cannot sit upright.

The most common trips are hospital discharges home or to a skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility, hospice discharges, scheduled outpatient procedures and imaging, and dialysis for riders who can no longer manage a chair. We also run long-distance stretcher transport for moves between states. And we run scheduled transfers between facilities when the patient is stable, such as hospital to rehab or hospital to a nursing home.

How a stretcher trip works

1. You book. Online through the reservations page, by phone at (703) 304-7889, or by email at Reservations@hmtransport.com. We need the rider’s name, pickup location and room, destination, appointment or discharge time, weight, any oxygen, and the number of steps at the home.
2. We confirm. You get a confirmation call or text within two hours of booking, with the pickup time and the quoted price.
3. The crew comes to the room. Two crew members arrive at the bedside with the cot, introduce themselves and check the rider’s comfort and positioning.
4. The transfer. Bed to cot, cot secured, rider belted and covered. On stairs, the stair team takes over.
5. The ride. Flat or reclined, whichever the rider tolerates best, with a crew member able to check on them.
6. Bed at the other end. The crew brings the rider inside and transfers them into the bed, chair or exam table at the destination, and hands them off to staff or family.

What stretcher transportation costs

Every trip is a pick-up fee plus mileage. The pick-up fee covers the stretcher van, the two-person crew and the transfers at both ends; the mileage covers the distance. These are our 2026 private-pay rates.

What that looks like on a real trip. A ten-mile hospital discharge home is $260 plus $40 of mileage, so $300. A ten-mile round trip to an appointment is $230 plus five extra miles at $4.00 on each leg, so $250 each way and $500 in total. On a typical five-to-twenty-five mile journey inside Northern Virginia, expect roughly $280 to $360 one way and $460 to $620 for a round trip.

Add-ons, named up front. Stair team, $75 each way. After hours (before 7am or after 6pm), $50. Prescheduled wait time, $100 per hour. Oxygen, $35 per 2L tank. Additional stop, $30. Credit card processing, 3%.

Crossing into DC or Maryland does not change the rate. The full rate card and a trip estimator are on our rates page.

Who pays: Medicaid, Medicare, private pay and facilities

Medicaid. If the rider is a Virginia Medicaid member and the trip is to a covered medical service, the ride should cost them nothing, and it is not 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.

Medicare. Original Medicare does not cover a stretcher van. It covers ambulance transport when an ambulance is medically necessary and documented. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a transportation benefit, usually a fixed number of trips per year, run through a broker; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. If your plan has the benefit, book through the plan and ask for H&M Transport by name.

Private pay. Families booking directly pay the published rates above. We quote the trip before you commit to it and the quote is what you pay. Long-term care insurance sometimes reimburses medical transportation, and veterans may have transport benefits through the VA.

Facilities. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and hospices book on contracted rates, with a three-hour maximum lead time for discharges. Details are on our facilities page.

Our stretcher crews and equipment

Two crew on every trip. Stretcher trips never go out with one person. Two trained crew members handle every transfer, and for difficult stairways or heavier riders we add the stair team.

Power-assisted cots. Our stretcher vans carry power-assisted Stryker cots, the same type used by ambulance services, which raise and lower the rider smoothly instead of relying on the crew’s backs. The cot can ride flat or reclined.

Training. Our stretcher crews complete the NEMTAC Certified Stretcher Operator course, the industry’s highest training standard, along with bed-to-cot transfer training, CPR and first aid certification, infection control, HIPAA confidentiality training and an annual defensive driving course. Every employee passes a criminal background check and drug screening, and driving records are monitored continuously.

Accreditation. H&M Transport was the first NEMT provider in Virginia to earn NEMTAC accreditation, which audits driver training, vehicle standards, securement procedure and complaint handling. It is worth asking every operator you call whether they are accredited. More about our vehicles is on the fleet page.

Hospitals and discharges we handle daily

Stretcher discharges are most of our hospital work. Our crews know the discharge lounges, the loading entrances and the elevator routes at each of these:

• Inova Fairfax Hospital
• Inova Alexandria Hospital
• Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
• Inova Loudoun Hospital
• Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
• UVA Health Prince William Medical Center
• Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
• VHC Health, Arlington
• Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring
• Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center

For case managers and discharge planners, we commit to a three-hour maximum lead time and free cancellation up to two hours before pickup. See hospital discharge transportation and our page for facilities, or the full list of hospitals we serve.

Where we drive

We run stretcher transportation across Northern Virginia, into Washington DC and through Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, under WMATC authority 3449. Dispatch sits in Gainesville, but our crews are staged locally across the whole service area.

Stretcher transportation in Manassas · Stretcher transportation in Woodbridge · Stretcher transportation in Fairfax · Stretcher transportation in Alexandria · Stretcher transportation in Arlington · Stretcher transportation in Chantilly · Stretcher transportation in Springfield · Stretcher transportation in Ashburn · Stretcher transportation in Leesburg · Stretcher transportation in Haymarket · Stretcher transportation in Warrenton · Stretcher transportation in Culpeper · Stretcher transportation in Fredericksburg · Stretcher transportation in Winchester · Stretcher transportation in Silver Spring, MD

Not on the list? We very likely still cover it. See the full service area or call dispatch.

Booking, notice and cancellations

• Same-day requests: call (703) 304-7889 and speak with dispatch to expedite.
• Notice: we need a minimum of three hours notice for same-day requests and discharges, and we cover most of them inside that window. Booking 24 hours ahead guarantees availability.
• Trip details: use the notes field to tell us the room or unit, the appointment type, how long it is expected to run if you need a return, and the number of steps at the home.
• Stairs: when a stairway needs the stair team, it adds $75 each way.
• Weight: for riders over 300 lbs, select bariatric service.
• Changes and cancellations: please cancel or change at least two hours before pickup to avoid a fee, by phone, by email at Reservations@hmtransport.com, or in our mobile app.

Stretcher transportation FAQ

What does bed-to-bed stretcher transport mean?

The crew comes to the room, transfers the rider from the bed to the cot, takes them out to the van, and at the other end transfers them into the bed or chair at the destination. The family does not do any lifting and the rider never waits at a curb.

How much does stretcher transportation cost?

A round trip is $230 per leg with five miles included on each leg and $4.00 for each additional mile. A one-way or discharge trip is $260 plus $4.00 per mile from the first mile. A ten-mile one-way discharge is $300, and a ten-mile round trip is $500. Add-ons such as oxygen or after-hours pickups are quoted before you book.

Why does every stretcher trip have two crew members?

Because moving an adult safely between a bed and a cot is not a one-person job. Two trained crew members run every stretcher trip, so there is always a second pair of hands at both ends of the transfer.

Does Medicare pay for stretcher transportation?

Original Medicare does not cover a stretcher van. It covers ambulance transport when an ambulance is medically necessary and documented. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a transportation benefit run through a broker; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. If your plan has the benefit, book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name.

Does Virginia Medicaid cover stretcher transportation?

Yes, for covered medical trips, and the rider pays nothing. 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.

Should I book stretcher or wheelchair?

If the rider can sit upright safely for the whole trip, wheelchair transportation is the right level and costs much less. If they cannot sit upright, are bedbound, or are recovering from surgery that prevents sitting, book stretcher. If you are not sure, call dispatch and describe the rider; booking the wrong level means a vehicle arrives that cannot take them.

Can you handle stairs with a stretcher?

Often, yes. Tell us the exact number of steps and whether the stairway turns. When stairs need the stair team, it adds $75 each way.

Can the rider travel with oxygen?

Yes. Riders can bring their own portable oxygen, or we can supply it at $35 per 2L tank. Tell us the flow rate when you book.

Can a family member ride along?

In most cases, yes. Tell us when you book so we assign a vehicle with the seat available.

How far ahead do I need to book?

Booking 24 hours ahead guarantees availability. For same-day requests and hospital discharges we need a minimum of three hours notice, and we cover most of them inside that window. Stretcher vehicles and two-person crews are a smaller share of any fleet, so the earlier you call, the better.

Is stretcher transportation the same as an ambulance?

No. There is no medical care or monitoring on board, and we do not take anyone to an emergency room or move a patient between hospitals for a higher level of care. Those are ambulance trips. If this is a medical emergency, call 911.

Can you move a bedridden person to another state?

Yes. Long-distance stretcher trips (50 miles or more) cost $300 plus $6.00 per mile, with two crew for the whole trip. Long-distance wheelchair trips cost $175 plus $4.50 per mile. A 200-mile stretcher move, for example, costs $1,500. Call dispatch with both addresses and we’ll quote the trip and plan the timing.

Do you transport patients on isolation precautions, such as C. diff, MRSA or COVID?

Yes, with notice. Tell us about any isolation precautions when you book. The crew wears the protective equipment the precautions call for, and the vehicle is disinfected after the trip. An additional charge applies, and dispatch will quote it when you book.

Do you provide hospice and end-of-life transportation?

Yes. We take hospice patients home from the hospital, between facilities and to appointments, by wheelchair or by stretcher with two crew. We work with the hospice agency on timing, move at the family’s pace, and a family member can ride along.

Related services

Wheelchair transportation · Bariatric transport · Hospital discharge · Hospice discharge · Dialysis transportation · Long distance transport · All services