Payor Services - Ambiance Medical Transport

Name: Ambiance Medical Transport
Address: 4627 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, California, 90004, US
Telephone: 8558800001
Price range: $1

Health plans & Medical Groups

At Ambiance, we are committed to partnering with payors to deliver safe, reliable, and compassionate non-emergency medical transportation services throughout the L.A. region.

Our mission is to ensure every patient receives the highest level of care and comfort during their journey—whether it’s to a skilled nursing facility, home, to dialysis, or to an appointment.

We focus on “patient appropriate” transportation. In many instances, NEMT gurney is appropriate for the patient - providing better & more reliable service while saving the plan or group money.

Our team of experienced professionals and well-equipped fleet deliver efficient, cost-effective transport solutions that align with payor goals for quality, compliance, and member satisfaction. We understand the importance of timely, coordinated care and are dedicated to supporting our payor partners in improving health outcomes and operational efficiency.

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100,000+

Number of transports

4.9

Google Rating

98 Years

Age of oldest patient Ambiance has transported

SATISFY REQUESTS AND ARRIVE ON-TIME

We know your case & transportation managers are overworked and need reliable transportation to handle discharges. Ambiance direct to dispatch hotline and our 5-zone deployment approach ensures easy, fast, responsive, and reliable bookings.

100%

Inbound calls answered within 10 seconds

1000+

Gurney transports performed by Ambiance each month

Ambiance gurney vans/teams

98%

Ambiance on-time rate

Comprehensive Solutions for Payors

Streamlined transportation services designed to enhance member care while optimizing operational efficiency

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Appointment

Reliable transportation for routine medical appointments, ensuring patients arrive on time and reducing no-show rates.

DISCHARGE

Seamless transportation from hospital to home or care facility, reducing discharge delays and readmission risks.

resource

Advanced booking systems and analytics to optimize transportation resources and control costs effectively.

Integration Capabilities

Seamlessly connect Ambiance’s NEMT solutions with your healthcare systems for a smarter, more efficient workflow.

EHR/EMR Integration

Streamline patient care coordination by connecting directly with leading Electronic Health Record systems.

Real-time synchronization of patient data

Automated appointment scheduling

Secure and HIPAA-compliant data transfer

Claims & Billing Systems

Simplify financial operations with seamless integration into your claims and billing infrastructure.

Automated claims submission

Real-time eligibility checks

Streamlined payment processing

custom workflows

Adapt Ambiance’s platform to your unique operational needs.

Configurable business rules

Automated workflow triggers

Flexible and detailed reporting options

BILLING

Ambiance contracts and works with health plans, medical groups, capitated plans, TPAs, and other transportation coordinators. Ambiance uses Barbeau Medical Billing, a 3rd party coding & billing company, and Office Ally to comply with electronic billing requirements. We use standard HCPCS coding and, when necessary, we work with payers to establish coding to account for unique charges such as bariatric and bariatric plus upcharges, stairs, etc.

Our Certifications

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California DOJ

We conduct fingerprint-based background checks through the California Department of Justice for all employees.

LADOT Certification

Certified by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, adhering to transportation safety and efficiency standards.

American Red Cross First Aid & CPR

Our team is certified in First Aid and CPR, equipped to respond to medical emergencies and administer first aid.

EMT Certification

All attendants are certified Emergency Medical Technicians, trained to handle medical emergencies and provide basic life support.

100% COVID-19 Vaccinated Staff

All our staff members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, ensuring a safer environment for our patients.

Trusted by Los Angeles' Providers & Health Plans

FAQ

Hours of Operation

Contacting Ambiance

Ambiance's Equipment

Ambiance's Team

Ambiance's Service Area

Billing & Payment

Transport Details

Insurance

Hours of Operation

What are your dispatch hours? (PST)

Monday to Friday from 6AM to 9PM
Saturday from 9AM to 8PM
Sunday from 9AM to 6PM

When is your first and last pick up?

We do advanced scheduled trpis (e.g. dialysis appointments) starting at 2:30 AM for 3:00 AM appointments
Our first same-day pickup is at 9 AM, and our last same-day pickup is at 9 PM. Services can be extended later with advance bookings.

Are your capable of doing AM hospital discharges?

Yes. If there is a consistent need for morning discharges, we can assign resources to facility.

Contacting Ambiance

What is the number Ambiance can be contacted on?

Ambiance’s general number is (818) 955-5757.
If you contract with Ambiance, you will be given a special “direct to dispatch” partner hotline number. For obvious reasons, we do not post this number on our website.

How long does it take you to answer- the phone if I am looking for a transport/ discharge?

We pride in our responsiveness. If you call Ambiance at the numbers above, our greeting message is 20 seconds long. After that, our dispatchers answer calls in 8 seconds on average (11 seconds are the max). So, after listening to a 20 second message and then waiting 11 seconds or less for a dispatcher to pick up, you will be speaking with one of our trained dispatchers who can schedule your ride immediately. No call ever goes to hold. We have a track record of answering every call, so no waits.

How much notice do you need for appointments? Can we call same day for appointments?

We prefer 24 hours or more notice and will confrim all appointments the day prior to the appointment, just like a restaurant reservation. If you call the same day, we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Ambiance's Equipment

How large is Ambiance's fleet?

Ambiance has 20 vehicles. 14 have the ability to do both wheelchair and gurney, 2 are wheelchair only, and 4 are gurney only.
We have 20 LA DOT vehicle permits.
Ambiance also has a Lincoln Continental we use for VIP ambulatory escorts outside of LA City.

What kind of vehicles do you use?

Our vehicles are Ford Transit 350 and Mercedes Sprinter vans. Wheelchairs are loaded from the side and gurneys are loaded from the rear.
We are also expanding our fleet to include wheelchair only vans.

How much do you maintain your fleet of vehicles and equipment?

Each of our vehicles is part of our mileage-based preventative maintenance program where we proactively address potential issues prior using our 50-point checklist. For example, we replace coolant and coolant hoses on a scheduled basis to avoid keep our engines from overheating. This work is performed by our local authorized mechanics.
Each of our stretchers, wheelchair ramps, and stair chairs are inspected on a regular basis.

Do you have any specialized equipment for bariatric and bariatric plus patient transport?

Yes. We have 4 vehicles equipped with Stryker Power Loads, a state of the art piece of equipment that handles loading patients into and unloading patients out of the vehicle.
We use only Stryker electric, bariatric capable gurneys (with bariatric wings).
> Every vehicle is equipped with an electric, bariatric capable stair chair in the event stairs or narrow hallways are encountered.

Do your teams use transfer boards/sheets?

At Ambiance the safety of our patients and employees is our top priority and we continue to look for ways to improve. We have moved to equipping every gurney van with a transfer board for a safer and more comfortable transfer for patients and employees and every one of our employees is trained on the use of transfer boards.

How do you keep track of your team during the day?

Each of our teams is equipped with GPS tracking and use the BAMBI dispatch system to stay on top of trips and traffic. In addition, they are in regular contact with our dispatch operation.

Ambiance's Team

How do you vet your new employees?

Ambiance’s management interviews all potential new hires and performs reference checks.
Every new hire is subjected to a drug test, a thorough background check by the California Department of Justice, and a physical (EMTs only).
Every 2 years employees must go through this process again.

Are your attendants EMTs?

100% of our attendants are EMTs.

What training do you provide your Employees?

All of our employees must take and pass Community Transportation Association of America’s (CTAA) Passenger Assistance Safety and Sensitivity (PASS) Basic and Wheelchair and the Red Cross’ First Aid and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) courses and tests. We also train our new hires through a variety of internal courses (e.g. stretcher and transfer board training) and hands on training through ride alongs.
Our drivers are also part of our on-going driver safety program where they are scored on safe driving practices and receive real time coaching on any potentially unsafe practices.

Do you employ nurses?

We do not as this is more appropriate for ambulance transportation.

Are your employees LA DOT permitted?

All of our employees are LA DOT permitted.

Do you have a driver safety program?

Yes. We train all our drivers as well as certify them upon hiring. We also use Lytx cameras in all our vehicles. This allows us to leverage Lytx’s artificial intelligence monitoring to provide real-time feedback and scoring for all our drivers.

How about your dispatch operation?

Our dispatchers are all well versed in our dispatch platform, BAMBI. In addition, they are familiar with Los Angeles’ traffic patterns and are able to take these into account when scheduling transports.

On long distance transports, what are the qualifications of the individuals performing the transport?

On long-distance transports, we will send a qualified driver + an EMT certified attendant who can also drive. If the trip is over 240 miles, Ambiance will send 2 certified EMTs who are also both trained drivers so that they can swap off, if necessary, without sacrificing patient monitoring.

Ambiance's service area

Can Ambiance operate in LA City

Yes. All 20 of our wheelchair & gurney vehicles, all our drivers and all of our attendants hold LA DOT permits.

How far will Ambiance transport a patient?

With sufficient notice, we will transport patients up to 500 miles. We have transported patients north to the Bay area, south to San Diego, and west to Arizona, Colorado, and Las Vegas.

Does Ambiance pickup patients from airport?

Yes. We service all airports in Los Angeles County: LAX, Santa Ana, Hollywood-Burbank, & Ontario. We can also service airports in the surrounding area as well..

Billing & Payment

Do you have the ability to bill via online platforms?

Yes.

Can you bill hospitals directly?

Yes.

Are you contracted with health plans & capitate plans?

Yes. If your hospital has a contract with a health plan, we will reach out to that plan to contract with them if we are not contracted with them already.

Do you accept checks or credit cards?

Yes, we accept both checks and credit cards

Transport Details

What is NEMT ?

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation

Do you transport ambulatory patients?

We do not.

Do you transport wheelchair patients?

Yes. We partner with several companies to supplement our ability to provide wheelchair transports.
All our partner companies must meet Ambiance’s rigorous hiring, training, driver monitoring, and equipment quality standards and must also utilize Ambiance’s dispatch platform to ensure our ability to provide transportation at the service and safety levels our patients and clients expect from Ambiance.

Since you do gurney transports, do you have a weight limit?

We consider all patients less than 250 pounds to be regular gurney transports.
We consider patients between 250 and 350 pounds to be bariatric patients and have a supplemental pickup charge for these patients.
Patients larger than 350 pounds are bariatric plus and the additional charge is based upon the circumstances of the transport.

Can Ambiance handle bariatric and bariatric plus patients?

Yes. We can accommodate both. In the case of bariatric plus, we have multiple vehicles equipped with Stryker Power Loads for safely loading and unloading larger patients or we will send a second crew to perform the transport.

Do you do door to door or curbside transports?

We pick up all our patients from their rooms and deliver them inside the building we are taking them to.

Why is it so important that you know is stairs or narrow hallways are involved?

Properly handling situations with stairs and narrow hallways is critical for the safety of both our employees and our patients.
If more than 2 stairs are involved, we will not transport a patient using a wheelchair due to the risk associated with pulling a patient in a wheelchair up a set of stairs..
If more than 2 stairs are involved with a gurney patient, we need to know so that we can ensure the patient can be transported up the stairs in one of our electric stair chairs. It would be extremely dangerous to transport a patient up a set of stairs in one of our gurneys and we do not use backboards. In the case where stairs are involved and the patient cannot sit in a stair chair, a backboard will need to be used and this will require a BLS transport.
If a narrow hallway with tight turns is involved for a gurney patient, we will again need to know if there is carpeting that will prevent the use of an electric stair chair.

Can you transoport patients that need oxygen?

Yes, up to 6 liters.

Can you transport patients that are intubated?

Can you transport patients with active IVs?

No. We can transport patients with capped IVs, but not active IVs.

Can you transport COVID patients?

Yes. We can transport patients who have been cleared for release from health facilities by a doctor.

Do you transport dialysis patients?

Yes, if they need gurney transportation. If they need wheelchair transportation, we assess each case.

Do you transport mental health patients?

Yes. If a mental health patient has been cleared for release to a lower level of care facility or to an appointment, we will transport the patient. In addition, our system and process will perform what we refer to as a “warm hand-off”. We will capture the name and signature of the individual accepting the patient to protect the hospital of SNF from any allegations of failed delivery.

what is the differnece between NEMT gurney & BLS Non - Emergency?

NEMT Gurney can transport every non-emergency gurney patient except those requiring BLS monitoring or have active IVs, open wounds, or are intubated.
NEMT Gurney is not paid for by Medicare.
BLS Non-Emergency is not reimbursed by Medicare when an appropriate alternative is available, so Medicare would not reimburse the provider for BLS Non-Emergency in these instances.
Bottom line, there is no difference between NEMT Gurney and BLS Non-Emergency in 90% of the hospital discharge cases
Both NEMT gurney and BLS Non-emergency take COVID patients

If I make a reservation for transport to an appointment and cancel, will I be charged?

If you cancel the a]ppointment at least 1 hour prior to pick up, there is no charge.
If we arrive and the patient elects not to go you will be charged the pick up fee (no mileage) for the transport.

Will you take a patient to an appointment, wait until they are fiinished, and then take them back?

Yes. This is called a “wait and return” and we do these types of trips frequently. In fact, many times they are required if the patient is a gurney transport as doctors’ offices do not always have spare beds for the patient to wait in.

Do you transport LA care patients?

Yes.

Do you provide teams on a per diem basis?

Yes. We provide hospital shuttles (ambulatory & wheelchair), wheelchair vans, and gurney vans complete with trained teams on a per diem basis to provider locations.

Insurance

Do you accept insurance for transport?

Yes, $1 million of coverage.

Does Ambiance require pre-authorization?

Yes.

Can Ambiance work with insurance for patient transport?

Yes.

Hours of Operation

What are your dispatch hours? (PST)

Monday to Friday from 6AM to 9PM
Saturday from 9AM to 8PM
Sunday from 9AM to 6PM

When is your first and last pick up?

We do advanced scheduled trips (e.g. dialysis appointments) starting at 2:30 AM for 3:00 AM appointments
Our first same-day pickup is at 9 AM, and our last same-day pickup is at 9 PM. Services can be extended later with advance bookings.

Are you capable of doing AM hospital discharges?

Yes. If there is a consistent need for morning discharges, we can assign resources to facility.

Contacting Ambiance

What is the number Ambiance can be contacted on?

Ambiance’s general number is (818) 955-5757.
If you contract with Ambiance, you will be given a special “direct to dispatch” partner hotline number. For obvious reasons, we do not post this number on our website.

How long does it take you to answer the phone if I am looking for a transport/ discharge?

We pride in our responsiveness. If you call Ambiance at the numbers above, our greeting message is 20 seconds long. After that, our dispatchers answer calls in 8 seconds on average (11 seconds max). So, after listening to a 20 second message and then waiting 11 seconds or less for a dispatcher to pick up, you will be speaking with one of our trained dispatchers who can schedule your ride immediately. No call ever goes to hold. We have a track record of answering every call, so no waits.

How much notice do you need for appointments? Can we call same day for appointments?

We prefer 24 hours or more notice and will confirm all appointments the day prior to the appointment, just like a restaurant reservation. If you call the same day, we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Ambiance's Equipment

How large is Ambiance's fleet?

Ambiance has 20 vehicles. 14 have the ability to do both wheelchair and gurney, 2 are wheelchair only, and 4 are gurney only.
We have 20 LA DOT vehicle permits.
Ambiance also has a Lincoln Continental we use for VIP ambulatory escorts outside of LA City.

What kind of vehicles do you use?

Our vehicles are Ford Transit 350 and Mercedes Sprinter vans. Wheelchairs are loaded from the side and gurneys are loaded from the rear.
We are also expanding our fleet to include wheelchair only vans.

How much do you maintain your fleet of vehicles and equipment?

Each of our vehicles is part of our mileage-based preventative maintenance program where we proactively address potential issues prior using our 50-point checklist. For example, we replace coolant and coolant hoses on a scheduled basis to avoid keep our engines from overheating. This work is performed by our local authorized mechanics.
Each of our stretchers, wheelchair ramps, and stair chairs are inspected on a regular basis.

Do you have any specialized equipment for bariatric and bariatric plus patient transport?

Yes. We have 4 vehicles equipped with Stryker Power Loads, a state of the art piece of equipment that handles loading patients into and unloading patients out of the vehicle.
We use only Stryker electric, bariatric capable gurneys (with bariatric wings).
Every vehicle is equipped with an electric, bariatric capable stair chair in the event stairs or narrow hallways are encountered. This equipment can be seen at

Do your teams use transfer boards/sheets?

At Ambiance the safety of our patients and employees is our top priority and we continue to look for ways to improve. We have moved to equipping every gurney van with a transfer board for a safer and more comfortable transfer for patients and employees and every one of our employees is trained on the use of transfer boards.

How do you keep track of your team during the day?

Each of our teams is equipped with GPS tracking and use the BAMBI dispatch system to stay on top of trips and traffic. In addition, they are in regular contact with our dispatch operation.

Ambiance's Team

How do you vet your new employees?

Ambiance’s management interviews all potential new hires and performs reference checks.
Every new hire is subjected to a drug test, a thorough background check by the California Department of Justice, and a physical (EMTs only).
Every 2 years employees must go through this process again.

Are your attendants EMTs?

100% of our attendants are EMTs.

What training do you provide your Employees?

All of our employees must take and pass Community Transportation Association of America’s (CTAA) Passenger Assistance Safety and Sensitivity (PASS) Basic and Wheelchair and the Red Cross’ First Aid and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) courses and tests. We also train our new hires through a variety of internal courses (e.g. stretcher and transfer board training) and hands on training through ride alongs.
Our drivers are also part of our on-going driver safety program where they are scored on safe driving practices and receive real time coaching on any potentially unsafe practices.

Do you employ nurses?

We do not as this is more appropriate for ambulance transportation.

Are your employees LA DOT permitted?

All of our employees are LA DOT permitted.

Do you have a driver safety program?

Yes. We train all our drivers as well as certify them upon hiring. We also use Lytx cameras in all our vehicles. This allows us to leverage Lytx’s artificial intelligence monitoring to provide real-time feedback and scoring for all our drivers.

How about your dispatch operation?

Our dispatchers are all well versed in our dispatch platform, BAMBI. In addition, they are familiar with Los Angeles’ traffic patterns and are able to take these into account when scheduling transports.

On long distance transports, what are the qualifications of the individuals performing the transport?

On long-distance transports, we will send a qualified driver + an EMT certified attendant who can also drive. If the trip is over 240 miles, Ambiance will send 2 certified EMTs who are also both trained drivers so that they can swap off, if necessary, without sacrificing patient monitoring.

Ambiance's service area

Can Ambiance operate in LA City?

Yes. All 20 of our wheelchair & gurney vehicles, all our drivers and all of our attendants hold LA DOT permits.

How far will Ambiance transport a patient?

With sufficient notice, we will transport patients up to 500 miles. We have transported patients north to the Bay area, south to San Diego, and west to Arizona, Colorado, and Las Vegas.

Does Ambiance pickup patients from airport?

Yes. We service all airports in Los Angeles County: LAX, Santa Ana, Hollywood-Burbank, & Ontario. We can also service airports in the surrounding area as well.

Billing & Payment

Do you have the ability to bill via online platforms?

Yes.

Can you bill hospitals directly?

Yes.

Are you contracted with health plans & capitate plans?

Yes. If your hospital has a contract with a health plan, we will reach out to that plan to contract with them if we are not contracted with them already.

Do you accept checks or credit cards?

Yes, we accept both checks and credit cards

Marketing

What is NEMT ?

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation

Do you transport ambulatory patients?

We do not.

Do you transport wheelchair patients?

Yes. We partner with several companies to supplement our ability to provide wheelchair transports.
All our partner companies must meet Ambiance’s rigorous hiring, training, driver monitoring, and equipment quality standards and must also utilize Ambiance’s dispatch platform to ensure our ability to provide transportation at the service and safety levels our patients and clients expect from Ambiance.

Since you do gurney transports, do you have a weight limit?

We consider all patients less than 250 pounds to be regular gurney transports.
We consider patients between 250 and 350 pounds to be bariatric patients and have a supplemental pickup charge for these patients.
Patients larger than 350 pounds are bariatric plus and the additional charge is based upon the circumstances of the transport.

Can Ambiance handle bariatric and bariatric plus patients?

Yes. We can accommodate both. In the case of bariatric plus, we have multiple vehicles equipped with Stryker Power Loads for safely loading and unloading larger patients or we will send a second crew to perform the transport.

Do you do door to door or curbside transports?

We pick up all our patients from their rooms and deliver them inside the building we are taking them to.

Why is it so important that you know if stairs or narrow hallways are involved?

Properly handling situations with stairs and narrow hallways is critical for the safety of both our employees and our patients.
If more than 2 stairs are involved, we will not transport a patient using a wheelchair due to the risk associated with pulling a patient in a wheelchair up a set of stairs.
If more than 2 stairs are involved with a gurney patient, we need to know so that we can ensure the patient can be transported up the stairs in one of our electric stair chairs. It would be extremely dangerous to transport a patient up a set of stairs in one of our gurneys and we do not use backboards. In the case where stairs are involved and the patient cannot sit in a stair chair, a backboard will need to be used and this will require a BLS transport.
If a narrow hallway with tight turns is involved for a gurney patient, we will again need to know if there is carpeting that will prevent the use of an electric stair chair.

Will you go up flights of stairs?

Yes. If a patient can sit in a stair chair, we are happy to take a patient up or down a full flight of stairs.

Will you wait and bring the patient back?

Yes. This is referred to as a round trip. If this is a wait and return, we charge a wait fee after the first 15 minutes of waiting.

Will you stop somewhere before taking the patient home?

Yes. This is referred to as a drop and return. This is where the crew drops the patient off, leaves, and then returns to pick the patient up later. We charge two one-way charges for this type of transport.

Can you pick up a patient from a hospital?

Yes. We pick up patients from hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, dialysis centers, and private homes.

What if the patient has an oxygen tank?

We are happy to transport patients with oxygen tanks. For safety reasons, we require that someone accompany the patient to manage the tank during the transport.

Will you carry a patient?

No. We will transfer a patient from a bed to a gurney, gurney to bed, etc., but we do not carry patients. For safety reasons, we require all patients to be transported in a safe and secure manner using appropriate equipment.

What information do you need when booking a transport?

Patient name, date of birth, phone number, pick-up address, drop-off address, type of transport (gurney, wheelchair), pickup time, weight, stair or hallway concerns, facility or hospital discharge contact.

How much does it cost?

The base price depends on pickup and drop-off location. There are additional charges for bariatric patients, stairs, waiting time, round trips, and other special circumstances. Call us for a quote.

How far in advance should I schedule the transport?

We recommend scheduling at least 24 hours in advance whenever possible. Same-day bookings may be available depending on crew availability.

Do you accept insurance?

No. We are private pay only. However, we will provide documentation to support patient reimbursement requests where applicable.

Insurance

Do you accept insurance for transport?

Yes, $1 million of coverage.

Does Ambiance require pre-authorization?

Yes.

Can Ambiance work with insurance for patient transport?

Yes.

CONTACT US

Comprehensive Solutions for Payors

BILLING

Trusted by Los Angeles' Providers & Health Plans

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