Starting a Successful NEMT Business from Scratch to 10 Vehicles | NEMT Experts Podcast Episode 61
Bambi CEO Nirav Chheda talks with Jesse Shanker, Owner of NorCal Transit in--you guessed it--Northern California! They discuss how Jesse started his NEMT business and has grown it successfully over the past 3 years.
See the full interview on YouTube.
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Also, available to watch on Spotify
And listen (audio only) on your other favorite podcast platforms Apple and Pandora.Key Takeaways:
- Significant Growth: In three years, Jesse's business expanded from managing 10-15 patients daily to 50-60, representing a 5x increase. This growth occurred through partnerships with insurance companies and efficient scheduling with Bambi software.
- Initial Entry into NEMT: Jesse's journey started by observing a transportation company serving a care home. Already experienced in transportation, he quickly saw the demand for NEMT services and began working directly with care homes before branching out.
- Transition to Full-Time: Initially a part-time venture, Jesse committed full-time when he realized the market demand through outreach to care homes, hospitals, and doctor offices.
- Partnering with Insurance Companies: By researching and reaching out directly to insurance companies, Jesse secured contracts that increased his business volume significantly.
- Shift to Automation: Transitioning from manual dispatching to using Bambi software allowed for optimized scheduling, increasing the volume of patients served.
- Scalability and Future Goals: Jesse's goal is to become the largest NEMT provider in his area, continually scaling as demand grows.
Top Quotes:
- On Growth:
"I went from anywhere doing maybe 10 to 15 patients, members a day, to now I'm doing about 50 to 60." — Jesse Shanker - On Discovering the Industry:
"I was at a care home, and I spotted a company that was giving, you know, an elderly lady a ride, and it kind of piqued my interest." — Jesse Shanker - On Transitioning to Full-Time:
"When I started to reach out to care homes and hospitals and, you know, doctors' offices, and then I started to see how high the demand was for this, and that's when I went full-time." — Jesse Shanker - On Partnering with Insurance Companies:
"Now the insurance companies are calling me rather than, you know, the care homes and all the individual businesses." — Jesse Shanker - On the Benefits of Automation:
"I started to see my volume increase because I can, you know, take in more patients. So it actually helped out a lot." — Jesse Shanker
On Overcoming Challenges:
"The most difficult part was first finding out if I needed, you know, if I was going to do more Gurney work or ambulatory or wheelchair." — Jesse Shanker
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