Houston Ambulance Service
Ambulance service in Houston, TX
Preferred EMS is a private ambulance service providing BLS, ALS, and MICU transportation across Houston, including the Texas Medical Center, Bellaire, Memorial City, Downtown, and the Galleria area. Dispatch is available 24/7.
For a medical emergency, call 911.
Our base and 24/7 dispatch center are in Houston at 7535 South Fwy, minutes from the Texas Medical Center.
- BLS, ALS and MICU in Houston
- Open 24/7
- Dispatch (713) 791-9000
Houston service
Who we serve
Most Houston trips touch the Texas Medical Center at one end, and our base on the South Freeway is minutes from it. Our dispatch team has worked this city since 2004, so when a Memorial City hospital calls for a transfer or a Downtown family needs ambulance transport to dialysis, we plan the route around Loop 610, I-45, US-59 and Beltway 8 before we set a pickup time.
Hospitals
Discharge transportation, interfacility transfers, and hospital-to-hospital transport between Houston hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, Memorial City, and across the city, including the short moves between TMC hospitals and nearby Bellaire, at the service level the referring team requests. We transport patients to and from hospitals across Greater Houston, including Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, St. Luke's Health and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Skilled nursing facilities
Houston skilled nursing facilities from the Medical Center to Memorial City schedule ambulance transport with us for dialysis, clinic visits and hospital transfers, planned around Loop 610 and Beltway 8 traffic.
Rehabilitation centers
Rehab centers across Houston rely on the same dispatch team to move patients into and out of the Texas Medical Center hospitals with the level of care the transfer calls for. That includes PAM Health rehabilitation hospitals and the area's other rehab and skilled nursing facilities.
Patients and families
Preferred EMS provides scheduled non-emergency ambulance service for patients throughout Houston.
Common requests
Common transport needs
Here is what Houston facilities and families call us for most often.
Interfacility transfers
One Houston hospital to another, or hospital to rehab center or SNF, at the level of care the sending team requests. Dispatch takes the details from the referring staff.
Hospital discharge transportation
Going home to Bellaire, West University or anywhere in Houston after a stay in the Texas Medical Center, Memorial City or another Houston hospital. We also take discharges straight to a skilled nursing facility or rehab center anywhere in the city.
Medical appointment transport
Dialysis, outpatient procedures and clinic visits when the patient needs an ambulance. Book ahead and dispatch sets the pickup.
ALS or MICU requests
Transfers between Houston hospitals when the sending physician or nurse asks for an ALS or MICU crew. Dispatch confirms the level.
Long-distance transport
Trips that leave the Houston area for specialty care, a placement near family, or a longer transfer. Dispatch plans the route ahead.
Services in Houston
Ambulance services in Houston
The patient's doctor or nurse chooses BLS, ALS or MICU. Not sure? Dispatch will help. Dispatch answers 24/7 and confirms every trip with you. For a medical emergency, or if you are unsure, call 911.
- Ambulance to the ERNon-emergency ambulance transport from residences and facilities to the ER.
- Hospital dischargeAmbulance transportation from the hospital to the next care setting or home.
- Dialysis transportAmbulance trips to and from dialysis, including repeat trips on treatment days.
- Nursing home & rehab transfersAmbulance transfers for nursing homes, assisted living and rehabilitation facilities.
- Interfacility transfersTransfers between hospitals, freestanding ERs, SNFs, rehab centers and specialty facilities.
- BLS ambulanceFor patients who need an ambulance stretcher and EMT-level care during the trip.
- ALS ambulanceFor patients who need paramedic-level assessment or care during the trip.
- MICU critical careFor critical-care patients moving between facilities with intensive-care equipment and staffing.
Discharge planner or case manager? Book a facility transfer
Regional coverage
Serving Houston and nearby communities
Houston is our home base, and the same dispatch team covers the communities around it: Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, Pasadena, League City, Baytown, Clear Lake, Humble, Friendswood, The Woodlands and Conroe. The Service Areas page has the full list.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Preferred EMS a private ambulance service in Houston?
Yes. We are a Houston non-emergency ambulance service, in business since 2004, with BLS, ALS and MICU units. Hospitals, nursing facilities, rehab centers, dialysis clinics, hospice and families across Houston use us.
Can a Houston hospital or facility book an interfacility transfer?
Yes. Case managers and discharge planners at Houston hospitals, SNFs and rehab centers call dispatch directly. Give us the sending and receiving facilities, the requested level of care and the time you want the patient moved, and we set it up.
How do I set up a transport in Houston?
Call (713) 791-9000 or send the online request form. Dispatch will ask where the patient is, where they are going, what level of care is requested and when you need the pickup, then confirm the trip back to you.
Do you go outside the Houston city limits?
Yes. From our Houston base we serve Bellaire, Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, Pasadena, League City, Baytown, Clear Lake, Humble, Friendswood, The Woodlands and Conroe, along with the rest of Greater Houston.