“Your doctor will now pay for your cab ride to your medical appointment.” Yes, you read that right!
As healthcare costs continue to rise, many patients struggle to afford the medical care they need. One major contributor to this financial burden is the cost of transportation to and from medical appointments.
On average, 3.6 million Americans miss appointments due to unavailability or expensive transportation. This strains patients and their wallets and impacts the credibility of doctors and the healthcare system.
To address this problem, Uber has developed Uber Health. Let’s know more about it.
What is Uber Health?
Uber Health is a ride-hailing platform that allows healthcare providers to book and pay for patient rides. At its core, Uber Health is a patient care service designed to provide a dedicated and convenient solution for patients’ transportation needs.
When a disease occurs, the patient needs multiple visits to address it. Unfortunately, many patients—10-50% globally and 27% in North America—fail to attend appointments. Transportation issues are a significant factor for this, leading to prolonged treatment and can worsen a patient’s condition.
Uber recognizes these transportation issues and has developed Uber Health to help patients.
But why use Uber Health when patients can use a regular Uber?
While one can easily book medical rides through the regular Uber app, there are certain limitations:
- Lack of immediate availability
- Patient inconvenience for medical rides
- Difficult for non-tech-savvy people
Uber Health can prove to be a more accessible option in such cases as it allows healthcare providers and caregivers to book rides on behalf of patients or clients, eliminating the need for them to use the app themselves. It also offers features like the ability to schedule rides in advance and to set up pickup and drop-off locations directly with the provider or caregiver. Also, as the driver knows it’s a medical ride, he can ensure patient convenience.
How does Uber Health work?
To use Uber Health, the healthcare provider or caregiver needs to be licensed by the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). They can log into the Uber Health web dashboard, enter patient details and pick-up and drop-off locations to book the ride. They can also choose from various ride-hailing vehicle options. The ride cost is similar to regular Uber and is billed to the healthcare provider.
The patient will receive a text message alerting them about the ride, driver details and timing, along with a link to the terms of service. They will also receive updates on their ride status and the estimated arrival time. All a patient needs to do is to be available at the scheduled place at the time of their ride.
Note: Uber Health is not an ambulance or emergency medical service, it’s a transportation service.
Benefits of using Uber Health
For healthcare providers
Missed appointments have significant negative impacts on medical insurance and healthcare providers. A study found that it can result in an operating loss of 16-54% for medical insurance, and a $ 200 loss for doctors for each empty slot. Uber Health helps them save this loss of revenue.
It helps providers document the treatment and track the effectiveness of different treatment methods. It also improves the provider’s reputation, as patients are more likely to receive complete treatment.
Using Uber Health can also assist providers in reducing unnecessary staffing expenses.
Benefits for patients
Besides the fare being covered by healthcare providers, Uber Health helps patients attend all necessary appointments and receive complete treatment. It makes it easier for patients to schedule appointments without worrying about transportation.
Benefits for Drivers
One major benefit for Uber Health drivers is the potential for an additional source of income. Drivers can choose to accept medical rides in advance and have a better understanding of their work and income flow.
Is Uber Health available globally?
Unlike the regular Uber, which is currently the largest ride-sharing company in the world, operating in 71+ countries. Uber Health is currently operational in the United States and has recently expanded to Australia.
Being in its beta-testing phase, Uber Health has shown tremendous positive results. One of the main challenges in achieving expansion is ensuring compliance with national healthcare laws and establishing partnerships with healthcare providers. These steps are necessary to operate legally and effectively in new markets.
The future of healthcare transportation
Access to medical care is crucial, and timely visits can often be a matter of life and death. While transportation barriers can be a major issue, with the advent of technology, the future of healthcare transportation looks bright. Innovative solutions like Uber Health are helping to address the problem and ensure patients get to their appointments on time.
While Uber Health is making an impact, there is room for other innovative startups to enter the market and offer competing solutions. As technology continues to advance, we can expect innovative solutions to emerge and help address transportation barriers in healthcare and improve patient outcomes.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
