For Facilities & Care Coordinators

Transportation Support for Your Residents & Patients

Handi-Lift works with nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and care coordinators to arrange non-emergency wheelchair and ambulatory transportation throughout Northwest Wisconsin.

Whether you need transportation for an appointment, a hospital discharge, or a transfer between facilities, our dispatch team can discuss the passenger's needs, check availability, and coordinate the trip.

Information Needed to Schedule

Please provide:

• Passenger's full name and date of birth.
• Facility name and scheduling contact's name and phone number.
• Complete pickup and destination addresses, including entrance, unit, or room details.
• Appointment date and time.
• Whether a one-way or round-trip ride is needed.
• Estimated return time, if known.
• Transportation mode: ambulatory, manual wheelchair, or power wheelchair.
• Passenger assistance needs and relevant mobility-equipment details.
• Whether a caregiver or escort will ride along.
• Billing responsibility or required broker authorization.
• Contact information for staff coordinating pickup and arrival.

Please provide only information relevant to arranging safe transportation.

Advance Notice & Confirmation

Online ride requests should be submitted at least 48 hours before the scheduled appointment time. For shorter-notice appointments or discharges, call dispatch directly to check availability.

Requests received outside office hours, on weekends, or on holidays are reviewed on the next business day. Please plan farther ahead for appointments following a weekend or holiday.

Submitting a request or receiving a quote does not reserve transportation. A trip is confirmed only after dispatch confirms the arrangements.

All transportation is subject to vehicle and scheduling availability.

Passenger Readiness & Staff Assistance

Please have the passenger ready at the confirmed pickup time, with necessary paperwork, mobility equipment, and personal belongings prepared.

Facility staff are responsible for:

• Ensuring the passenger's needs are appropriate for non-emergency transportation.
• Completing physical transfers before boarding and after arrival.
• Providing assistance needed to transfer between a bed, chair, and wheelchair.
• Having appropriate staff available at pickup and the receiving location.
• Informing dispatch of access concerns or changes in the passenger's transportation needs.

Handi-Lift drivers assist with boarding, exiting the vehicle, wheelchair securement, and escorting passengers to the appointment check-in area when needed.

Drivers do not provide medical care, medical monitoring, manual lifting, or physical transfers.

If the passenger requires a caregiver or escort during transportation, please arrange this in advance and confirm seating availability with dispatch.

Snow, Ice & Safe Access

Facilities must ensure driveways are plowed and pickup/drop-off areas, sidewalks, and ramps are cleared of snow and treated for ice before transportation.

Drivers will not enter inadequately cleared driveways or push wheelchairs through snow or across unsafe, icy surfaces. Please notify dispatch at (715) 822-5077 if safe access cannot be provided. Transportation may be delayed or canceled if a safe alternative cannot be arranged.

Hospital Discharges & Facility Transfers

Before requesting a discharge pickup, please confirm that:

• The passenger is ready for discharge and appropriate for the requested transportation.
• Required paperwork and receiving-facility arrangements are complete.
• The receiving location is prepared to accept the passenger.
• Required transfer assistance is available at both locations.
• Mobility equipment and necessary personal belongings are ready.
• Billing responsibility or program authorization has been established.

Call dispatch promptly if discharge readiness changes. Pickup timing depends on confirmed arrangements and vehicle availability.

Return-Trip Coordination

Please request return transportation when scheduling the initial trip and provide the best available estimate of when the passenger will be ready.

If an appointment runs late, finishes early, or the return destination changes, notify dispatch as soon as possible.

Drivers may serve other passengers while an appointment takes place. An estimated appointment completion time does not guarantee immediate return pickup. Dispatch will coordinate changes based on available drivers and existing routes.

Rates, Billing & Payment

Quotes are based on the trip details, route, and transportation needs provided. Trip changes, additional mileage, and applicable wait-time charges may affect the final amount.

Contracted facilities and agencies are invoiced according to their service agreements. Please identify the responsible billing party before transportation and notify our office of changes to billing contacts.

For private-pay rides, payment is required before pickup or at pickup, before transportation begins. We accept credit cards, checks, and cash.

Transportation through Medicaid/ForwardHealth or another contracted program must be arranged and authorized through the appropriate broker or program. A facility request or online quote submission does not establish coverage or authorization.

Cancellations & No-Shows

Please call dispatch as soon as transportation is no longer needed.

A $40 fee applies to cancellations made 2 hours or less before the scheduled pickup time, cancellations at pickup, and no-shows. Cancellations made more than 2 hours before pickup are not subject to this fee.

Charges and billing responsibility for facility-arranged or broker-authorized transportation are governed by the applicable service agreement or program rules.

Let's Coordinate Your Transportation

Contact our team to discuss a transportation agreement, request a quote, or arrange a trip.

Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 6:30 AM – 5:00 PM • Email: [email protected]
For same-day changes, delays, or cancellations during office hours, please call dispatch directly rather than email.