How much lead time does a software change need?

It depends on how clean your rider data is, how many recurring rides you carry, and how many drivers need the new app. Work backward from a cutover date. Leave time to export and clean data, load it, train dispatch, set up every driver's phone, and run both systems side by side for a few days before the old one goes read-only.

What happens to my old trip records after I leave a vendor?

They go with the old account unless you export them. Ask for a full export of trip logs, signatures, and invoices before the old contract ends, and store it somewhere you control. The obligation to keep those records is yours, not the vendor's. CareOregon, for example, requires its transportation providers to keep trip documentation for at least six years.

Do I need to tell my brokers I am changing software?

Your broker agreements do not change when your software does. Read them for any technology and record-keeping terms before you move, and make sure the new setup still meets them. Send each broker any contact details that change, such as a new dispatch phone number or email address.

Should I run both systems at the same time?

Yes, for a short overlap. Plan the next day in both systems and compare the leg count, assignments, and pickup times. Differences show you what did not import correctly while the old system is still there to fall back on. Keep the overlap short so dispatchers are not doing double work for weeks.

When is the best time of month to switch?

Early in a week and early in the month, after the previous month's invoices have gone out. Avoid holiday weeks, when dialysis centers and clinics shift their schedules, and avoid the days your team spends on month-end billing.

What if my current vendor will not export my data?

Start with the contract and the business associate agreement. Under 45 CFR 164.504(e), that agreement must require the vendor to return or destroy your patients' information at termination if feasible. Put the request in writing, and export every report the system allows while you still have access.

Switching NEMT Software: Migration Plan

Before you give notice

The safest switch starts with paperwork, not software. Four things to settle before you tell the old vendor you are leaving:

Read the contract. Note the term, the automatic renewal date, the cancellation notice period, and any fee for exporting your data.
Get the export first. Access may end on the termination date. Pull a complete export while the account is fully active, and confirm it opens and is complete before you cancel.
Know your record-keeping duty. Medicaid provider agreements require you to keep the records that show the extent of services you provided and to hand them over on request (42 CFR 431.107). Your state and broker contracts set how long. CareOregon’s transportation provider manual (February 2024) requires at least six years for trip documentation. The duty stays with you after the software is gone.
Sign the new vendor’s business associate agreement before a single rider record goes in. The old vendor’s agreement must provide for returning or destroying your patients’ information when the contract ends, if feasible (45 CFR 164.504(e)). Ask which one they will do, and get it in writing.

If you are still deciding which system to move to, the buyer’s checklist covers how to test it on your own trips first.

What to export

Export everything below as spreadsheet files (CSV or Excel). Some of it you will import, and some you will keep only as records.

Data	Why you need it	Watch out for
Riders	Names, dates of birth, phones, member IDs, mobility needs, escorts, notes	Duplicate riders with slightly different spellings
Addresses and saved places	Homes, facilities, entrances, gate codes	Missing apartment numbers and entrance notes
Recurring rides and standing orders	Days, times, start and end dates, authorization numbers	The biggest single risk of a missed ride after cutover
Future one-off trips	Every leg dated after the cutover, with trip numbers	Will-call returns that have no time yet
Drivers	License and credential expiration dates, phone numbers	Credentials that expire during the switch
Vehicles	Type, seats, wheelchair and stretcher capacity, equipment, plate, inspection dates	Equipment flags that decide which riders a van can carry
Payers and rates	Base rates, mileage, wait time, after-hours, and no-show terms per payer	Custom rates for one facility that live in someone’s head
Open invoices and payments	What is still owed to you	Deciding which system collects the old balances
Trip history	Trip logs, signatures, GPS or mileage records, invoices	Keep as files you control, even if you never import them

Recurring rides deserve extra care. Brokers approve them for long stretches, up to six months at a time for dialysis at some brokers. A series that fails to come across can go unnoticed until the rider calls from their doorstep. The standing orders guide covers how to track them.

Choosing the cutover date

Pick one date and draw a clean line. Trips on or before it are finished and billed in the old system. Trips after it live in the new one.

Start early in the week. A Monday or Tuesday cutover gives you working days to fix problems before the weekend.
Stay away from month-end billing. Switch after the previous month’s invoices have gone out.
Avoid holiday weeks. Dialysis centers and clinics may shift schedules around holidays, and your recurring rides shift with them.
Tell facilities what changes for them. A new invoice layout, a new booking link, or a new phone number for dispatch should not arrive as a surprise.

Your broker agreements do not change with your software. Read them for any technology or record-keeping terms, and send brokers your new contact details before cutover if anything changes.

The migration plan, step by step

The timing below counts back from cutover day. Stretch it for a large fleet or messy data.

Two weeks out: export and clean. Remove duplicate riders, fix incomplete addresses, and confirm every recurring series has an end date or a renewal date.
Load the basics. Riders, places, drivers, vehicles, payers, and rates. Spot-check 20 riders against the old system, including your three most complicated ones.
Rebuild recurring rides. Then compare next week’s leg count in both systems. The numbers should match exactly.
Set up users and roles. Give each dispatcher, biller, and manager their own login with the access their job needs.
Train dispatch on a real day. Build a copy of a normal weekday in the new system. Include a will-call, a same-day add, and a driver calling out.
One week out: set up every driver. Install the app, sign in, allow location access, and run one practice trip in the parking lot.
Run in parallel. For two or three days, plan tomorrow in both systems and compare assignments and pickup times.
Cutover day. Put an extra person on dispatch. Set the old system to read-only so nobody books into it by habit.
First week: review daily. Check for missing legs, late trips, and recurring riders without upcoming trips.
First billing cycle: reconcile. Compare each payer’s invoice total with the same period last month and explain any gap.

Getting drivers on board

Drivers make or break the first week. Handle the phone side before cutover:

Phones. Confirm every driver’s phone runs a supported iOS or Android version and has a working data plan.
Location access. The app needs permission to use location while it runs in the background, or the live map goes dark mid-trip.
Practice. Ten minutes in the lot doing a fake pickup and drop-off beats an hour of explanation.
A one-page guide. Status buttons, signatures, and who to call, in the languages your drivers read.
Day-one support. A dispatcher who answers every driver call on the first morning.

What to check in the first 30 days

Check	What good looks like
Legs per day	Matches what was booked, day by day
Recurring riders	Every active standing order has its upcoming trips on the schedule
Unassigned trips	Zero at the end of each planning session
On-time performance	At or above your last month in the old system
Missing actual times or signatures	Close to zero, and falling
Invoice totals per payer	Within a normal range of the same period last month

The NEMT KPIs guide and the on-time performance guide have the formulas if you want a before-and-after comparison.

Common mistakes

Cancelling the old contract before the export is complete and checked.
Importing dirty rider data and cleaning it later.
Missing standing orders or will-calls that start after the cutover.
Rolling out the driver app on cutover morning.
Switching during month-end billing or a holiday week.
Treating trip history as the old vendor’s problem.

Moving to HealthRide

In HealthRide, each recurring ride is booked once and HealthRide creates the actual trips weeks ahead, so rebuilding standing orders is a one-time job. Ryder Go plans and assigns the whole day in one click. Roster exports mean your information is never locked in, and pricing is month-to-month with no setup fees, so there is no long contract to plan around.

Switching NEMT Software Without Missing a Ride: The Migration Plan