With Uber Health Launch, Ride-Sharing Service Sets Its Sights on Office Visits

Ride-sharing service Uber has joined the healthcare industry with the launch of Uber Health, a web-based platform for healthcare organizations in the United States.

A press release¹ penned by Chris Weber, general manager of the Uber Health initiative, highlighted the top features of the new service, including flexible ride scheduling, smartphone-free access, ease of billing and management, and HIPAA compliance.

“Every year, 3.6 million Americans miss doctor appointments due to a lack of reliable transportation,” wrote Mr Weber. “No-show rates are as high as 30% nationwide. And while transportation barriers are common across the general population, these barriers are greatest for vulnerable populations, including patients with the highest burden of chronic disease.”

To minimize these transportation barriers, Uber Health taps in to the current Uber infrastructure. Through a web dashboard, participating organizations are able to schedule rides for practice patients, guests, and employees. Rides are billed on a monthly basis, directly to the organization.

Uber Health is also HIPAA compliant, according to Mr Weber. “To ensure Uber Health meets HIPAA standards, we have been working hard to develop, implement, and customize numerous safeguards.” In addition, Uber Health partnered with Clearwater Compliance to conduct “comprehensive risk and compliance assessments.”

A case study examining the relationship between Uber Heath and MedStar Health, located in Washington, DC, highlighted the key benefits of the partnership, including fewer missed appointments, an increase in appointment-based revenue, and cost efficacy.²

More than 100 healthcare organizations have been involved with Uber Health beta testing, including the NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center and Yale New Haven Health.

Resources are available for organizations that are considering partnering with Uber Health. 

References

1. Weber C. Introducing Uber Health, removing transportation as a barrier to care [news release]. https://www.uber.com/newsroom/uber-health/. Published March 1, 2018. Accessed March 1, 2018.
2. Uber Health. Moving care forward. https://businesses.uber.com/rs/732-DID-644/images/UH_casestudy_SM%20%281%29.pdf. Accessed March 1, 2018.