How to Start an NEMT Business: The Paperwork That Protects You
Most new NEMT owners treat the paperwork as red tape to get through before their first trip. Frank Ciccarella has spent more than 45 years in passenger transportation, and today, when a rider gets hurt and a lawsuit follows, attorneys bring him in to review what the company had in writing.
Guest: Frank Ciccarella, owner of Synergize Consulting, transportation safety and training consultant, and expert witness
Host: James, Cofounder, Duet
Frank has held leadership roles at First Transit, Laidlaw, MTM, and SCR Medical Transportation. He was TLPA's Operator of the Year in 2018, and he's a NEMTAC master instructor for wheelchair and stretcher securement. Since founding Synergize in 2018, he's helped transportation companies write the programs, policies, and procedures they run on, and helped new providers get set up. His belief: write your policies before your first trip, because after the first accident is too late. We'll cover:
The startup paperwork, in order What to file and when, from forming the business to Medicaid enrollment and broker credentialing, and where new applications get stuck.
Getting approved on the first try What brokers and state Medicaid programs look for in a new provider, and the mistakes that send applications back.
The policies you need before your first trip The difference between a program, a policy, and a procedure, and which ones a one- or two-van company needs in writing on day one.
Driver files and training What belongs in every driver's file, and how a small company runs real training without a full-time trainer.
When a passenger gets hurt What an attorney asks to see after an incident, and what separates the companies that can defend themselves from the ones that can't.
Audience Q&A