In the United States, our care providers and healthcare system do many things very well. The nation is a leader in biomedical innovation and advanced care for cancer and other serious diseases. But America’s overall health still lags behind many other industrialized nations, and public perception of the industry is mixed: A 2024 Gallup poll found that 54% of those surveyed had a somewhat or very negative view of the healthcare system, while 31% had a somewhat or very positive view.  

Healthcare costs continue to rise for everyone, including patients, providers, and payers, without a measurable improvement in health outcomes. It’s an environment ripe for challenger brands that can rewrite healthcare through better operational efficiency, member experience, performance monitoring, and fraud detection, all to improve health outcomes, lower costs, and address barriers to care.      

What are challenger brands? You probably know many of them: They’re usually founded with the goal of challenging the status quo within their industry. They introduce new products or models that set them apart from the competition. They work to understand the unique needs of their customers and prioritize those needs. Often, they solve problems that have been long ignored or taken for granted.  

That was the case when SafeRide Health launched in 2016: Too many patients did not get timely transportation to care. In fact, 1/5 people didn’t make it to care at all due to transportation as recently as 2023, and many health plans were kept in the dark about what was happening with the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefits managed by their legacy broker. Since then, SafeRide has established itself as the fastest-growing NEMT partner in the industry, working with Medicare Advantage health plans, Medicaid managed care organizations, and provider networks to bring access and dignity to care for millions of health plan members. Here’s how we’re doing it.  

Seamless, Member-First Experiences

Across the healthcare industry, member experience is a focus but not always a success. A 2023 KFF survey of consumer experiences with health insurance found that most people (81%) had a positive view of their insurance plan, but a majority (58%) also reported having experienced a problem using their health insurance in the previous year. That was even higher for those in fair or poor health (65%) and for those who had sought mental health treatment in the past year (74%).  

For many people who have Medicare Advantage or Medicaid health plans, non-emergency medical transportation is the first step in their journey toward better health. When NEMT runs well, members stop worrying about how they’ll get to care. And if their transportation is easy and pleasant, they’re more likely to attend their appointments.  

SafeRide is winning on that front: We have an average member rating of 4.8/5 stars in after-ride surveys, and our grievance rate is well below the industry average, at just 0.22% of rides in 2024. Our passengers overwhelmingly have a positive experience, and that’s partly because we’ve redefined the transportation provider/broker relationship to build trust and success on both sides, with regular monitoring and rewards for transportation providers who perform well.  

Our AI-powered, compliant platform eliminates missed rides and delivers nearly “invisible transportation”—so seamless that members can forget it’s even there. The technology is countered by talented employees who lead with compassion and purpose: Our team reflects the communities we serve: diverse, mission-driven, and committed to care with dignity.  

Unmatched Operational Experience

While many NEMT operational models are fragmented across regions and systems, SafeRide Health has a centralized, accountable model that is more efficient and dependable. Our operations team works out of our San Antonio, Texas, headquarters, with network managers and support staff embedded in regions across the country.

Our technology platform unifies every element of the ride process:  

• Scheduling rides within the parameters of health plan benefits  

• Incorporating member assessments to ensure rides are personalized to patient needs

• Enabling ride booking by health plan care coordinators, provider facilities, members, family members, or SafeRide Health customer service representatives  

• Routing to ensure members receive the least costly and most appropriate ride

• Ride monitoring to prevent or remedy any ride anomalies  

• Data analysis that enables real-time reporting to SafeRide leaders, health plans/states/providers, and transportation providers, ensuring continual strong performance, improvement, and innovation

Our network is constantly monitored to ensure we have vetted, credentialed vehicles and drivers to serve each unique member. And our proprietary ride-assignment algorithm automatically assigns rides to the closest, most appropriate transportation provider, with white-glove service available for members who need additional care and attention. Thanks to our commitment to service and ongoing innovation, our ride fulfillment rate regularly exceeds 99%, with industry-leading on-time ride rates and call center answer times. When members need us, we show up—every time.

Customized Innovation at Scale

While legacy systems are rigid and siloed, ours adapts in real time, without sacrificing scale. SafeRide Health ensures that every innovation is thoughtfully and deliberately pursued in service of our clients and their members, and we are constantly working to improve our products and offerings. That includes product iterations tailored to clients’ goals and challenges, from integrating unique benefit designs to seamlessly managing benefits for dual-eligible members who have NEMT benefits under both Medicare Advantage and Medicaid.

Our innovations also include cutting-edge fraud detection powered by machine learning. We recognize, along with the rest of the healthcare industry working to address fraud, waste, and abuse, that fraudulent activity takes resources away from members who need them most. But while most programs audit after the fact, we can prevent fraud before it happens thanks to AI and human insight. Our prevention and control efforts save health plans resources that they can invest in care solutions and benefits for those who need them. Every fraudulent ride we prevent means another that matters to a patient who needs it.

Finally, one of SafeRide’s defining innovations, from the start, has been the unparalleled transparency and insights we provide our clients. Thanks to advanced technology driving our network and operations, we capture dozens of performance metrics about every ride and member interaction, sharing them with our clients in real time and analyzing them to monitor performance trends.  

Because our network is nearly completely digitized, we have full visibility into every ride: Is the driver on time? What kind of vehicle is being used? What route are they taking? Was it fulfilled? How did the member feel about the ride? And more. The answers to these questions help us and our clients determine whether we are successfully delivering the NEMT service we are both mission-driven and contracted to provide. Our 100% client retention rate is the ultimate proof of success.

SafeRide Health’s agile innovation and fully customized, scalable solutions are underpinned by the employees who build and sustain powerful relationships with our clients and their members. Together, we deliver seamless transportation that prioritizes member satisfaction and operational excellence. From benefit design to execution, we are the industry’s most responsive strategic ally and a force for equity, access, and better outcomes.