Medical Transportation to VHC Health (formerly Virginia Hospital Center)

Getting to VHC Health

Arlington pickups are often vertical, and that changes the trip.

A raised-roof wheelchair van does not fit in many residential garages, and buildings along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor commonly post clearances our vans exceed. That doesn’t stop the trip: we pick up at the street entrance or the loading bay instead. Tell us the building and we will know, or we’ll call ahead and find out.

Many buildings prefer a service entrance to the front covered entrance, and some want the front desk notified before a vehicle arrives. Fifteen seconds of that at booking saves fifteen minutes at the door.

We also run to VHC Health from Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax and across the river.

Discharge, and the DC question

George Mason Drive trips come in two kinds.

Discharges. A patient released from VHC Health goes home to an Arlington apartment or house, or on to a rehab or skilled nursing bed.

Scheduled arrivals. Riders brought in for an appointment, imaging, an infusion or an outpatient procedure, and collected afterwards.

Emergency room trips and transfers to another hospital for a higher level of care are for an ambulance, not our vans.

Facilities give us three hours for a same-day discharge, stretcher included, and a booking the day before is guaranteed.

The particular thing about Arlington is how often the care isn’t in Arlington. A great many VHC Health patients are referred across the bridge — MedStar Georgetown, George Washington University Hospital, Sibley Memorial and Howard University Hospital. We take those riders to scheduled appointments and procedures, and we bring them home again afterwards.

WMATC authority 3449 covers the District, Montgomery and Prince George’s, and our Virginia DMV Certificate #524 covers the Virginia side, so a VHC Health patient going to a DC appointment travels on one booking with one carrier and no surcharge for the crossing.

Choosing the van for an Arlington trip

Pick by how the rider moves that day, not by whether the appointment is in Arlington or across the bridge.

Ambulatory — a rider who walks with a steadying arm; the driver meets them in the lobby and walks them into VHC Health.
Wheelchair transportation — the rider stays in the chair, loaded by ramp or lift at the street entrance and secured at four points before the van moves; we can bring a chair.
Stretcher — for a patient who must ride flat, such as a VHC Health discharge to a rehab bed; two crew members on each trip.
Bariatric — riders over 300 pounds get rated equipment and an extra crew member. These vans are fewer, so call early.

Not sure which fits? Describe the rider and the building to dispatch, and we’ll choose the vehicle with you before it’s sent.

Booking an Arlington ride

Arlington bookings go through (703) 304-7889 at any hour. A same-day ride or a VHC Health discharge needs three hours’ notice, anything booked the day before is guaranteed, and a call or text confirms it within two hours. Changes are free more than two hours before pickup; a later change or a no-show is $50.

Prices and coverage. An Arlington rider pays the same card whether the appointment is on George Mason Drive or at a DC hospital: $55 a leg for a wheelchair or ambulatory round trip, the first five miles each way included, then $3 a mile; $90 plus $3 a mile one way; $230 a leg for a stretcher round trip. Check it first on our rate card and estimator. 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. Arlington Medicaid members book through the plan. 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.

When an Arlington trip needs an ambulance

We carry Arlington riders to scheduled care and home again, across the river included; the van is transport, not treatment.

No one is monitored on board, no one goes to an emergency room with us, and we don’t move patients 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.

If you can’t tell which you need, call and describe it, and if it’s an ambulance trip, we’ll say so.

Common questions

Can you take a VHC Health patient to an appointment in DC?

Yes. Many VHC Health patients see specialists at MedStar Georgetown, George Washington University Hospital, Sibley Memorial or Howard University Hospital. We take them to scheduled appointments and procedures and bring them home.

Is there an extra charge for crossing into DC from VHC Health?

No. WMATC authority 3449 covers the DC leg and our Virginia DMV Certificate #524 the Arlington end, so the trip runs on one booking with no surcharge for the crossing.

Can your wheelchair van get into my Arlington building’s garage?

Usually not, because many Rosslyn-Ballston buildings post clearances our raised-roof vans exceed. We pick up at the street entrance or loading bay instead. Tell us the building and we will know or call ahead.

Which entrance should the driver use at my Arlington building?

Many buildings prefer a service entrance to the front covered entrance, and some want the front desk notified before a vehicle arrives, so mention both at booking.

What if a VHC Health appointment runs long?

Book the ride home as a will-call. A call to dispatch shortly before the visit ends starts a driver toward George Mason Drive; call once you’re finished and a driver reaches you within 45 minutes. A driver can wait on site instead at $75 an hour for wheelchair trips or $100 an hour for stretcher.

Do you carry VHC Health patients on isolation precautions?

Yes, with notice: tell us about C. diff, MRSA, COVID or other precautions at booking. The crew wears the protective equipment required, the van is disinfected after the trip, and dispatch quotes the added charge.

Does Virginia Medicaid cover a ride to VHC Health?

Yes. An Arlington member’s covered visit to VHC Health, or to a DC specialist the plan covers, costs nothing, and Medicaid books the trip rather than our dispatch. 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.

Book a ride to VHC Health

Pairs with our Arlington service area page. For a wheelchair ride to VHC Health from home, see wheelchair transportation in Arlington and in Falls Church.

Phone (703) 304-7889 any hour, or use our reservations page and dispatch will call back to confirm.