Medical Transportation to Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring

Getting to Holy Cross Hospital

The crossing is the reason to call us. We hold Virginia DMV Certificate #524 for trips in Virginia and WMATC authority 3449, which covers the Washington Metropolitan District — the District itself, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, and the Northern Virginia jurisdictions. A Maryland pickup going to a Virginia or DC destination travels on one booking with one carrier, legally, with no handoff at the line.

That matters at Holy Cross, because many of its patients are referred across the river for specialist care and many Virginia patients come the other way.

Pickups in Silver Spring run from downtown high-rises to post-war single-family streets within a couple of miles. Downtown buildings have the same garage-clearance constraint as Arlington’s — a raised-roof van usually can’t get in, so we pick up at the street or the loading entrance. Older neighborhoods like Woodside and Takoma Park have steps up from the sidewalk and no driveway apron; tell us the number of steps.

Riderwood on Gracefield Road is a regular Silver Spring address for us. Give us the residence building rather than the campus address.

Discharge and booking

Forest Glen Road trips are one of two kinds.

Discharges. A patient released from Holy Cross goes home in Silver Spring or across the line, or to a rehab or skilled nursing bed.

Scheduled arrivals. Riders coming in for an appointment, imaging, an infusion or an outpatient procedure, and going home once it’s done.

Rides to the emergency room, and moves to another hospital for a higher level of care, need an ambulance instead of our van.

Facilities get three hours’ notice as the same-day minimum, stretcher included; a day-ahead booking is guaranteed, and changes are free more than two hours before pickup.

What the floor should tell us: whether the patient can sit upright safely for the journey, home or facility, stairs at the destination, oxygen or equipment traveling with them, and a realistic discharge time.

Traffic is the scheduling problem on any trip from Silver Spring toward Virginia. The Beltway or the District, neither quick. We schedule against the corridor rather than the mileage — if the destination is across the river in the morning peak, expect us considerably earlier than the distance suggests.

Which van a Silver Spring trip needs

The rider’s mobility on the day decides it, whether the trip ends at Forest Glen Road or across the river.

Ambulatory — a rider who walks with an arm to lean on; the driver helps down the steps in Woodside or Takoma Park and walks them in.
Wheelchair transportation — the rider stays in the chair, loaded at the street or loading entrance by ramp or lift and secured at four points; we can bring a chair.
Stretcher — for a patient who can’t sit up safely, such as a Holy Cross discharge to a nursing bed; two crew members run it bed to bed.
Bariatric — riders over 300 pounds travel with rated equipment and an extra crew member; give us as much notice as you can.

If you can’t tell which fits, tell dispatch about the rider and the building, and we’ll settle the vehicle with you first.

Booking a Holy Cross ride

Silver Spring riders book through (703) 304-7889 at all hours. A same-day trip or Holy Cross discharge needs three hours’ notice; book the day before and it’s guaranteed, with a call or text confirming within two hours. Changes cost nothing more than two hours before pickup, and later changes or no-shows are $50.

Cost and coverage. A wheelchair or ambulatory round trip is $55 a leg with five miles included each way, then $3 a mile; a stretcher round trip is $230 a leg; a trip into Virginia or the District is quoted on the same card. Our rate card and estimator are published. H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland. In Montgomery County, Medicaid rides are arranged through the county Department of Transportation’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program; start there or with the number on the member’s ID card. Outside Medicaid, a health plan whose ride benefit SafeRide Health administers can book us: go through the plan and request H&M Transport by name. Original Medicare doesn’t pay for wheelchair or stretcher vans.

Holy Cross trips that need an ambulance

We carry Silver Spring riders to scheduled care and back, across the river included; the van carries people, it doesn’t treat them.

There’s no monitoring on board, no ride to an emergency room and no transfer between hospitals for a higher level of care. If a rider becomes unwell, the driver stops safely and calls 911.

If this is a medical emergency, call 911.

Unsure which you need? Describe the situation to dispatch, and if it’s an ambulance trip, we’ll tell you.

Common questions

Can you take a Holy Cross patient to a specialist in Virginia or DC?

Yes. Many Holy Cross patients are referred across the river for specialist care. WMATC authority 3449 covers the District and Maryland legs and our Virginia DMV Certificate #524 the Virginia end, so the trip runs on one booking with one carrier and no handoff at the line.

How early will you pick up for a trip from Holy Cross toward Virginia?

Earlier than the distance suggests. Neither the Beltway nor the District is quick, so we schedule against the corridor rather than the mileage, especially in the morning peak.

Can you pick up at a downtown Silver Spring high-rise for a Holy Cross appointment?

Yes. A raised-roof van usually can’t clear downtown garages, so we pick up at the street or the loading entrance. In older neighborhoods like Woodside and Takoma Park, tell us the number of steps.

Do you pick up at Riderwood in Silver Spring?

Yes. Riderwood on Gracefield Road is a regular Silver Spring pickup for us. Give us the residence building rather than the campus address.

What if a Holy Cross appointment runs late?

Make the return a will-call. Call dispatch near the end of the visit and a driver heads to Forest Glen Road; call when you’re done and a driver reaches you within 45 minutes. Prescheduled wait time is $75 an hour for wheelchair trips and $100 an hour for stretcher.

Can a Holy Cross patient on isolation precautions ride with you?

Yes, with notice. Mention C. diff, MRSA, COVID or any other precaution when you book; the crew wears the protective equipment needed, the van is disinfected afterwards, and dispatch quotes the added charge.

My Medicare Advantage plan includes rides. Can I use H&M Transport?

Ask your plan. Call the member services number on your plan card and ask whether your benefit covers wheelchair or stretcher vans; if the plan’s rides run through SafeRide Health, request H&M Transport by name. If the plan books through a vendor that doesn’t use us, you can still book with us directly and pay the published rate.

Book a ride to Holy Cross Hospital

Pairs with our Silver Spring service area page. For a ride to Holy Cross Hospital from nearby, see wheelchair transportation and stretcher transportation in Silver Spring.

Call (703) 304-7889 any hour, or start on our reservations page and dispatch will phone back to confirm.