New app helps COVID-19-positive people find transportation to quarantine

On Thursday, software development company Mobisoft announced the release of NEMT Pulse, a non-emergency medical transportation app.

NEMT Pulse will help people who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 travel from their current location to their designated quarantine spot safely. The app’s interface can help schools, hospitals and community health centers arrange isolated rides for individuals who need transportation to their quarantine location.

The program uses a three-way interface with a driver app, a patient app and a web admin portal. Providers can use the admin portal to schedule rides and manage patient and driver profiles.

Patients can choose the type of ride they need and monitor the driver’s progress while they wait, much like an Uber or Lyft. It can even incorporate a feature for contactless face detection and includes an SOS button.

"We pivoted our NEMT software that could be implemented to safely meet the needs of those affected by COVID-19," said Shail Sinhasane, CEO of Mobisoft. "This app provides a solution to ensure individuals who have tested positive can get to their quarantine location with one less thing to worry about."

The app is already in use in a few areas: a community health center in California and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign uses NEMT Pulse to schedule transportation for students moving to and from isolation and quarantine spaces in residence halls.

University students who test positive or who public health officials have determined must quarantine due to contact tracing can request transportation via a website. The university follows virus prevention protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vetting the drivers’ tests statuses and designating specific vehicles for this service.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in tech innovations in recent months. Apps for contact tracing showed up last month. The virus has also led to an increase in remote work, causing tech companies to improve video conferencing through AI-based automated transcription and fun background effects and captions. NEMPT Pulse is yet another innovative solution to problems created by the current pandemic.