MediRoutes launches browser dispatch tool for NEMT

MediRoutes has launched a browser-based dispatch system for non-emergency medical transportation providers, replacing the limitations of its earlier web offering.

The new platform allows the full MediRoutes dispatch toolset to run in a web browser on devices including MacBooks, PCs, iPads, tablets and phones. Previously, the company's main dispatch functions were available through a desktop application, while its browser version supported only a narrower set of tasks.

The launch marks a shift in how dispatch staff can access scheduling and fleet management tools in the non-emergency medical transportation sector, where coordinators often need to respond to delays and route changes away from a fixed workstation. The rebuilt system puts trip scheduling, near real-time vehicle tracking, route adjustments and passenger notifications on a single screen.

MediRoutes rebuilt the platform as trip volumes increased, broker requirements tightened and operating costs rose across the market. The company has supported more than 100 million NEMT trips since 2008.

David Reinkensmeyer, Chief Executive Officer of MediRoutes, described the operational focus behind the redesign.

"One late pickup can unravel a whole day, and the person fixing it isn't always sitting at a desk," said David Reinkensmeyer, Chief Executive Officer of MediRoutes.

"So we rebuilt dispatch from the ground up to run in a browser, with everything on one screen. A dispatcher can spot a late driver from an iPad in the parking lot and reassign the trip before the clinic ever calls."

Key functions

The system includes batch scheduling, which assigns unscheduled trips to routes automatically using factors such as appointment times, vehicle capacity, space type and driver availability. Travel times used in batch scheduling and trip shopping are drawn from machine learning based on the company's GPS trip history, which it said reflects actual route performance.

Map View displays vehicles, trips and drivers on one screen with colour-coded status indicators. Multi-Loading automatically groups compatible trips onto a single vehicle, while Omni-Search allows users to find a trip, driver, passenger or vehicle from one search bar.

The dispatch experience also includes Predictive ETAs, a feature introduced earlier this month. MediRoutes said the estimates use machine learning applied to GPS data recorded about every five seconds, together with live traffic conditions.

Another feature, Where's My Ride, lets dispatchers send tracking links by SMS or email to passengers, caregivers or facility staff. The links show near real-time GPS location, estimated arrival time and trip status in a web browser without requiring an app download.

Operator input

The system was developed with a group of customers who used it in live operations before release. MediRoutes said that testing shaped the layout and the decision to concentrate core information on one screen.

"Dispatchers told us they didn't need more noise on the screen. They needed the right information to surface at the right moment," said Morgan Landry, Chief Operating Officer of MediRoutes.

"We spent years listening to the people running the fleet, and the new dispatch is built around the handful of things they check a hundred times a shift."

One of the early customer users was Grace Nachtigal, Operations Supervisor at Contemporary Transportation and Discover Ride Transportation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. She said the reduction in page switching was a notable change in day-to-day use.

"My favorite thing about the new dispatch is how much less clicking between pages there is," said Grace Nachtigal, Operations Supervisor at Contemporary Transportation and Discover Ride Transportation.

"You can access everything on the same screen instead of going back and forth. It saves time when you're getting back to those calls."

The new dispatch experience is available to existing MediRoutes customers at no additional cost.