Medical transportation for dialysis patients on Long Island

Why dialysis transportation is different from other NEMT

Most medical transportation needs are occasional — a specialist appointment once a month, a follow-up after surgery, a lab visit. Dialysis is not occasional. It runs three times per week, typically Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, on a fixed schedule that your dialysis center assigns. Missing a session because a driver didn't show up is not an inconvenience. It is a medical emergency in waiting.

Dialysis transportation also places unique demands on the driver and the schedule:

• Precision timing. Dialysis centers run chair assignments on tight rotations. A late arrival pushes your session back, shortens your treatment time, or knocks you off the chair entirely. Arriving even 20 minutes late matters.
• Post-treatment awareness. After a three-to-four-hour dialysis session, patients are often lightheaded, fatigued, and — particularly after early treatments — hypotensive. The return trip requires a driver who understands this and helps the patient to the vehicle without rushing.
• Stakes of missed sessions. Unlike a missed dermatology appointment, a missed dialysis treatment results in dangerous fluid and toxin buildup. Two missed sessions in a week may require hospitalization. Transportation is not a convenience — it is part of the treatment.
• Long-term continuity. A dialysis patient may need transportation for years, not weeks. That means the driver relationship matters, and a provider who cancels frequently or rotates unfamiliar drivers creates real medical risk.

What DachiPlus provides for dialysis patients

Our dialysis transportation program is designed around the specific requirements of thrice-weekly treatment schedules:

• Standing-order trips. When your dialysis center enters a standing order with MAS for your recurring schedule and lists DachiPlus as your preferred transportation provider, your trips are approved ahead of time for up to six months, so you don't need to call before every single session.
• Same-driver continuity when possible. We assign consistent drivers to recurring dialysis routes. Your driver learns your pickup spot, your timing needs, and your preferences — reducing the friction of every trip.
• On-time pickups. Our dialysis drivers understand that "on time" means having you at the center door at least a few minutes before your slot, not at the center parking lot.
• Post-treatment care awareness. Return-trip drivers are briefed on post-session fatigue and hypotension. We don't rush patients back to the vehicle. If you need a few minutes to stabilize, we wait.
• Coordination with dialysis centers. We coordinate directly with centers when treatment times shift, when sessions run long, or when the return pickup window needs adjustment. You shouldn't have to be the messenger between your center and your driver.
• DaVita and Fresenius familiarity. DachiPlus serves patients at multiple DaVita and Fresenius locations across Long Island. Our drivers know the facilities, the parking situations, and the typical treatment windows.

How a Medicaid standing order works for dialysis

If you are a New York Medicaid member, your dialysis transportation is covered at no cost to you. It is arranged through MAS (Medical Answering Services), the state-contracted broker that manages Medicaid transportation across Long Island.

What is a standing order?

A standing order is a request for prescheduled Medicaid transportation to recurring appointments at the same place, usually on the same days and at the same times each week. Dialysis is the most common example. Under the state's Standing Order Policy (effective October 1, 2020), only your medical provider's office can enter a standing order. MAS does not accept standing orders from members, family members, or transportation companies. A standing order lasts up to six months and does not renew on its own, so ask your provider's office to renew it before it ends.

How to get your dialysis standing order in place

1. Ask your dialysis center to request a standing order through MAS. A social worker, nurse, or scheduler at the center enters it in the MAS online system with your treatment days, chair times, and the center's address.
2. Ask them to list DachiPlus as your preferred transportation provider. The standing order request has a field for it. We serve all of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
3. Ask early. The policy asks providers to enter a standing order at least three business days before it starts, so check with the center that it is in place before your first trip under it.
4. Ask the center to renew the order before it ends, and to update it if your treatment days or chair time change. DachiPlus cannot book, change, or pause your Medicaid trips. MAS and your medical provider handle those.

Until the standing order is in place, book each trip with MAS at 1-844-666-6270 at least 72 hours (3 days) before your appointment, and ask for DachiPlus by name. MAS first decides the right type of transportation for your trip, then considers your choice of provider among the companies enrolled for that type.

For the complete MAS guide, see our step-by-step Medicaid transportation guide.

Private pay dialysis transportation

If you are not covered by Medicaid — or if you want to use DachiPlus directly without going through MAS — private pay dialysis transportation is straightforward to set up.

We offer recurring schedule billing for dialysis patients, so you're not re-booking each trip individually. Call us at (516) 754-7777 to:

• Describe your dialysis schedule (days, pickup address, center address, treatment start time)
• Get a rate for your recurring route
• Set up automatic scheduling so your trips are confirmed in advance

We accept credit and debit cards and Medicare Advantage transportation benefits. If you have long-term care insurance, call us to verify whether medical transportation is a covered benefit under your policy.

What dialysis patients should know about transportation

A few practical points that experienced dialysis patients and their families often wish they had known earlier:

• Why arriving on time matters so much. Dialysis centers assign chair times in coordinated blocks. When one patient arrives late, it can affect the entire shift. Arriving late also means you may receive a shorter treatment, which directly affects your clearance numbers (Kt/V) and overall outcomes.
• What happens if you miss a session. One missed session causes a two-day toxin and fluid buildup. Your potassium rises. Your blood pressure spikes. You feel worse than you would on a normal treatment day, and your next session will be harder on your system. Two consecutive missed sessions may prompt your nephrologist to send you to the ER. Transportation is not optional.
• Return trip timing. Treatment sessions run 3 to 4.5 hours depending on your prescription. The return pickup usually occurs at a scheduled time after your expected session end — your dialysis center coordinates the return window. Alert us immediately if your session ends earlier or later than expected so we can adjust.
• What to tell your driver. If you are feeling especially lightheaded or unwell after treatment, tell the driver. They are trained to help you to the vehicle safely and to drive smoothly. If you feel unable to safely enter the vehicle, notify the dialysis center before trying to leave.

Dialysis centers we serve on Long Island

DachiPlus provides transportation to and from dialysis centers throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties, including DaVita and Fresenius locations. (The clinics themselves do not drive patients; see does Fresenius provide transportation.) We serve patients at facilities across both counties regardless of which specific center your nephrologist has assigned you to.

Nassau County dialysis centers we regularly serve include those in Mineola, Great Neck, Hempstead, Rockville Centre, Valley Stream, and Hicksville. In Suffolk County, we cover Huntington, Commack, Hauppauge, Bay Shore, Patchogue, and Riverhead, among others.

If you are unsure whether we serve your specific center, call us at (516) 754-7777 and we'll confirm.