The objective of the project is to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of non-emergency medical transportation services (NEMT).
The first objective of this project was to design a framework that could be used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of non-emergency transportation services (NEMT). In addition to the development of the framework, this project aimed to establish connections between Portland State University (PSU) researchers with regional connections involved in public health research, non-emergency medical transportation, medical services, and medical insurance provision. With the rising costs of transportation and medical costs generally in the United States, it is increasingly important to develop new tools and strategies to reduce these costs while maintaining and improving upon the level of care provided. Ultimately, the inability to afford NEMT can lead to missed appointments and reduced access to medical care for vulnerable populations, which in turn can lead to more trips to the emergency room and reduced quality of life. This impacts not only individuals, but the communities that these individuals are a part of. This project focused on generating tools that can be used not only by the client with which the researchers partnered, Ride Connection, but similar transportation providers nationwide.