# No one to drive you home after a colonoscopy or cataract surgery? Your options on Long Island

> Why Long Island endoscopy and eye surgery centers want an adult escort after sedation, what Northwell and Stony Brook require, and your ride options.

Source: https://dachiplus.com/resources/no-ride-home-after-colonoscopy-or-cataract-surgery/

Updated October 2026

After sedation, most centers will not let you leave alone. Northwell requires a friend or family member aged 18 or older to go home with you, and Stony Brook Medicine says taxi and rideshare drivers are not acceptable as your escort. A booked ride solves the driving, not the escort: DachiPlus can drive you and the adult going with you, but our driver does not replace that adult. Call your center before the procedure date to confirm what it accepts.
**Medicaid:** call MAS at [1-844-666-6270](tel:+18446666270).
**Private pay:** call [(516) 754-7777](tel:+15167547777).

Your prep packet says someone has to take you home, and nobody is free that day. The fix depends on your center's rules more than on finding a car. Here is what Long Island centers ask for, what Medicaid and Medicare cover, and what a ride company like DachiPlus can and cannot do.

## Why can't I go home alone after a colonoscopy?

The medicine is the reason, not the procedure. The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) explains that a colonoscopy is done with either a mild sedative or an anesthetic that puts you fully asleep. You go home once most of the effects have worn off, and a family member or friend has to drive you. ASGE also says not to drive, operate machinery or make legal decisions for the rest of the day, even if you feel alert, because the medications can affect your judgment and reflexes that long.

The exam itself usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, but the visit runs much longer. Northwell tells patients to plan on two to two and a half hours at a GI procedure appointment, including arriving about an hour early and recovering afterwards. Stony Brook Medicine's prep instructions say to expect about three hours from registration to discharge at [Stony Brook University Hospital](https://dachiplus.com/facilities/stony-brook-university-hospital/) or its Ambulatory Care Pavilion. Whoever takes you home needs to plan around that window, not around the procedure time on your letter.

## What about cataract surgery?

You are usually awake for cataract surgery, but the advice about the ride is the same. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) describes numbing drops or an injection around the eye, sometimes with a medicine to help you relax, and then 15 to 30 minutes in a recovery area before you go home. Asked whether a patient could drive home afterwards, an AAO ophthalmologist answered that because of the sedation and possible swelling, it is best to arrange for someone to take you home. Your eye doctor tells you when it is safe to drive again, so you may need rides to the follow-up visits as well.

## What do Long Island centers actually require?

Rules differ by health system and by the type of sedation, and the transportation section of your own prep instructions is the one that counts. Two of the largest systems on Long Island publish theirs:

- **Northwell Health.** Patients cannot drive after anesthesia. Northwell and its affiliates require you to be accompanied home by a responsible adult, a friend or family member aged 18 or older. You can arrive on your own or be dropped off, but for the trip home you may use Uber, Lyft, a taxi or public transportation only with that adult beside you. Northwell checks your ride home when you arrive and cancels the appointment if none is secured. That covers GI procedures at hospitals such as [North Shore University Hospital](https://dachiplus.com/facilities/north-shore-university-hospital/) in Manhasset.
- **Stony Brook Medicine.** Its colonoscopy prep instructions ask you to arrange a responsible adult to accompany you when you leave, even if you are taking public transportation. They state that taxi and rideshare drivers are not acceptable, and that the procedure may be canceled if the hospital cannot confirm your transportation on the day.
Behind those rules is a national pattern. An ASGE journal review notes that colonoscopy patients in the U.S. generally must guarantee a responsible adult driver before scheduling and confirm on arrival that the driver is present, and that many endoscopy units are reluctant to release sedated patients to medical transportation services, often over liability. So plan on bringing your own escort unless your center tells you otherwise. When you call the scheduling office, ask:

- Does my escort have to be a friend or family member, and how old?
- Can my escort ride home with me in a car service instead of driving?
- Does the escort need to wait in the building, or can they arrive at discharge?
- Who will call my escort when I am ready to leave?
- If I truly have no one, what do you suggest?

## Can I take an Uber or taxi home after a colonoscopy?

Only with an adult riding with you, and only where your center allows it. Northwell accepts Uber, Lyft, a taxi or public transit for the trip home when a responsible adult is with you. Stony Brook does not accept a taxi or rideshare driver as the responsible adult. The same logic applies to a medical transportation company: the vehicle gets you home, and the adult is there for you. Our comparison of [NEMT, rideshare and taxis](https://dachiplus.com/resources/nemt-vs-rideshare-taxi/) covers the other differences.

## Getting there and back with Medicaid

If you have New York Medicaid, the ride to and from a Medicaid-covered procedure costs you nothing when MAS authorizes it in advance. Book through MAS at [1-844-666-6270](tel:+18446666270) or online at least three days before the appointment, which is MAS's guideline for routine care. If you live in [Nassau County](https://dachiplus.com/service-area/nassau-county/) or [Suffolk County](https://dachiplus.com/service-area/suffolk-county/), ask for DachiPlus by name; MAS first sets the type of transportation you need and then considers your choice of provider. Our [MAS Medicaid guide](https://dachiplus.com/resources/mas-medicaid-guide/) walks through the call. Three details matter on procedure day:

- **Book the trip home as a pickup.** The Department of Health notes that transportation providers are not required to stay with you for the length of your appointment, so ask for a return pickup and keep the provider's phone number with your escort.
- **Tell MAS your escort is coming.** New York's Medicaid transportation rules allow a transportation attendant to accompany you when MAS authorizes it, so mention the person riding with you when you book. Our guide to [a family member riding along on a Medicaid trip](https://dachiplus.com/resources/family-member-ride-along-medicaid-transport/) covers the details.
- **Give the arrival time, not the procedure time.** Northwell asks patients to arrive about an hour early, and Stony Brook's instructions ask hospital patients to register an hour before the procedure. Book the ride for the time you have to be there.

## Medicare, Medicare Advantage and private pay

Original Medicare's transportation coverage is ground ambulance for times when traveling in any other vehicle could endanger your health, according to Medicare.gov. A car ride home after a routine colonoscopy or cataract surgery does not fit that, so plan on another way to pay. Medicare Advantage plans can offer extra benefits that Original Medicare does not cover, and the extras differ by plan: call the number on your card and ask whether rides to procedures are included. Our guide to [Medicare Advantage ride benefits](https://dachiplus.com/resources/medicare-advantage-transportation-benefits/) explains what to ask.

Private pay with DachiPlus is priced by driving distance from our published [rate card](https://dachiplus.com/cost/private-pay-pricing/): a base charge per pickup plus a per-mile rate, with each leg of a round trip counted. Waiting time after the first 15 minutes is billed by the hour, so for a visit of two hours or more, booking the trip home as a separate pickup avoids most of the waiting charge. The [cost estimator](https://dachiplus.com/cost/estimator/) prices your exact trip, and our page on [how private pay works](https://dachiplus.com/pay/private-pay/) covers payment.

## What DachiPlus does, and what it does not do

We are a ride, and it helps to be clear about where that stops.

- **We do** drive you to the center and home again, with [door-through-door help](https://dachiplus.com/resources/what-is-personal-transportation-assistance/) from your front door to the facility entrance and back. See our [post-surgery transportation](https://dachiplus.com/services/post-surgery-transportation/) service for the details.
- **We do** take one companion at no extra cost on most trips, so your escort can ride with you and neither of you has to drive or park.
- **We do** carry riders who can walk or transfer to a vehicle seat, with a folding wheelchair in the trunk. If you have to stay seated in your wheelchair, we arrange the ride through a licensed wheelchair-van partner.
- **We do not** provide a medical escort. Our drivers help you to and from the car; they are not nurses or aides.
- **We do not** count as your responsible adult at centers that require a friend or family member, and our driver does not stay with you at home after drop-off.
If you have no escort at all, tell your center's scheduling office well before the date and ask what it suggests. A ride by itself will not solve that part. For the wider question of who can take you home after other kinds of surgery, see [who can drive me home after surgery](https://dachiplus.com/resources/who-can-drive-me-home-after-surgery/) and [whether hospitals let you drive yourself home](https://dachiplus.com/resources/will-hospitals-let-you-drive-yourself-home/).

## A simple plan for procedure day

- Read the transportation section of your prep instructions as soon as they arrive.
- Line up your escort: an adult friend or family member who can stay until you are released.
- Book the ride. On Medicaid, call MAS at least three days ahead, name DachiPlus and your escort. Paying privately, call DachiPlus at [(516) 754-7777](tel:+15167547777) and book your escort as the companion.
- Give the center your escort's phone number and the pickup plan.
- For the rest of the day, follow ASGE's advice: no driving, no machinery and no legal decisions.

## Frequently asked questions

Only with a responsible adult riding with you, and only where your center allows it. Northwell accepts Uber, Lyft, a taxi or public transportation for the trip home when a friend or family member aged 18 or older is with you. Stony Brook Medicine says taxi and rideshare drivers are not acceptable as your escort. Check the transportation section of your own prep instructions.

Usually not. Northwell requires a friend or family member aged 18 or older, and an ASGE review notes that many endoscopy units are reluctant to release sedated patients to medical transportation services. DachiPlus can drive you and your escort together, but our driver does not replace the escort and does not stay with you after drop-off.

Yes, when MAS authorizes the trip in advance for a Medicaid-covered service. Call MAS at 1-844-666-6270 or book online at least three days ahead, ask for DachiPlus by name, and mention the adult who will ride with you. Transportation providers are not required to stay for your whole appointment, so book the trip home as a pickup.

Plan not to. An American Academy of Ophthalmology ophthalmologist advises arranging for someone to take you home because of the sedation and possible swelling, and your eye doctor tells you when it is safe to drive again.

Plan on most of a morning or afternoon. Northwell tells patients to expect two to two and a half hours at a GI procedure appointment, and Stony Brook Medicine says about three hours from registration to discharge. After cataract surgery the AAO describes 15 to 30 minutes in recovery, on top of check-in and preparation.

## Book the ride once your escort is set

DachiPlus drives procedure-day rides across Nassau and Suffolk County, with your escort riding along.

**Medicaid patients:** call MAS at [1-844-666-6270](tel:+18446666270) at least three days before your appointment and request DachiPlus. **Private pay:** call DachiPlus directly at [(516) 754-7777](tel:+15167547777).

## Sources

Center rules quoted here were taken from each health system's published patient instructions on October 9, 2026. Your own instructions may differ; follow them.

- [American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE): Understanding Colonoscopy, patient information](https://www.asge.org/home/for-patients/patient-information/understanding-colonoscopy(2))
- [ASGE Journal Scan: Rideshare Provided by Health System Enabled Patients to Undergo Sedated Colonoscopy (review of Issaka et al., Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2023)](https://info.asge.org/102723-colon-rideshare-enabled-sedated-colonoscopy)
- [American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO): Cataract Surgery, what to expect](https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-cataract-surgery)
- [AAO Ask an Ophthalmologist: Can I drive after cataract surgery?](https://www.aao.org/eye-health/ask-ophthalmologist-q/can-i-drive-after-cataract-surgery)
- [Northwell Health Gastroenterology: Patient resources and procedure FAQ (transportation home)](https://www.northwell.edu/gastroenterology/patient-resources)
- [Stony Brook Medicine: Colonoscopy Preparation Instructions (magnesium citrate prep, PDF)](https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sites/default/files/Magnesium%20Citrate%20Prep.pdf)
- [NY State Dept. of Health: Medicaid Transportation Enrollee FAQs (questions 1, 8 and 15)](https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/members/faqs.htm)
- [NY Codes, Rules and Regulations: 18 NYCRR 505.10, Transportation for medical care and services (transportation attendant)](https://regs.health.ny.gov/content/section-50510-transportation-medical-care-and-services)
- [MAS: Scheduling Guidelines (how far ahead to book)](https://wp2.medanswering.com/enrollees/scheduling-guidelines/)
- [MAS: FAQ for Enrollees (how vendors are assigned)](https://wp2.medanswering.com/enrollees/faq-enrollees/)
- [Medicare.gov: Ambulance services coverage](https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/ambulance-services)
- [Medicare.gov: Compare Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage](https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/your-coverage-options/compare-original-medicare-medicare-advantage)

## A ride home after surgery or a hospital stay

Most hospitals and surgery centers will not let you drive yourself home after anesthesia. A DachiPlus driver picks you up when you are released, takes it slow, and has room for crutches or a walker and a seat for a family member.

## Related resources

Part of our guide to [rides after a hospital stay or surgery](https://dachiplus.com/resources/topics/hospital-discharge-and-surgery/).

## Who Can Drive Me Home After Surgery?

## Can You Hire a Driver Home From Surgery?

## Long-Distance Transport After Surgery

## The Hardest Part of an Appointment Is the Ride Home