Companies aim to lower healthcare costs by combining multiple transportation options, ensuring all patients get the care they need to ensure good health

Ride Health, coordinating smarter transportation for every patient need, and Uber Health, facilitating non-emergency medical transport for patients and caregivers, together have expanded options for patients across the country who lack an affordable, simple way to get to and from medical appointments.

An estimated 3.6 million Americans miss or delay medical care each year because of transportation issues, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Some studies peg the cost of missed doctor’s appointments at over $150 billion annually. Especially vulnerable to transportation barriers are the elderly, disabled, and low-income populations, who are more likely to live alone and be socially isolated, without a car, or in areas poorly served by public transit.

The partnership between Ride Health and Uber Health addresses these issues by helping make healthcare transportation more accessible at scale. Ride Health’s web-based, mobile-enabled transportation coordination platform covers all ride types and service levels, from public transit and taxis to wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV) and ambulances. Leveraged by Ride Health, Uber’s reliable network of drivers is a core component of moving patients and staff between their homes and care centers, including hospitals, clinics, rehab centers, senior care facilities, home care centers, and physical therapy centers among others.

“We are proud to team up with Uber Health, which is respected across the healthcare industry not only for its network strength but also for its success in promoting rider safety, its HIPAA controls, and for preventing fraud,” said Imran Cronk, CEO, and Founder of Ride Health. “Our health system and health plan customers appreciate the added flexibility that Uber Health brings to our network via its WAV and UberAssist products, which helps provide assistance to seniors and people with disabilities.”

A Real-Time Ride Platform for Non-Emergency Medical Transport

Ride Health’s web-based platform coordinates high-quality rides by integrating with dispatch, clinical, and customer relationship management systems to deliver real-time visibility, decision support, and data-driven performance management. While traditional transportation coordination solutions address issues hours after a ride is completed or missed, Ride Health's platform monitors each ride throughout the trip for potential disruptions, such as late drivers or missed connections. If a disruption is imminent, automated notifications prompt a support team to intervene in real-time. The platform tracks ride-level performance data and feedback to produce a rating of both the quality of service and the cost of a ride.

Hospitals and health systems depend on Ride Health to help patients access primary care, adhere to chronic disease treatment plans, receive post-acute follow-up care, and get home safely after emergency department visits or hospital admissions. Ride Health also supports health plans in 10 states, handling their transportation benefit management and optimizing utilization across all transportation modes. Health plan members can check their eligibility and schedule rides through Ride Health’s self-service Member Portal, available on mobile or desktop, or via a managed contact center. The resulting improvements in operational performance and available ride data drive lower costs, increased member satisfaction, and greater accountability.

“Reliable and efficient non-emergency medical transportation is essential to improving health outcomes. We are pleased to partner with Ride Health to continue increasing access to care for all communities, but especially our most underserved,” said Dan Trigub, Head of Uber Health.

About Ride Health

Ride Health partners with healthcare organizations and transportation network providers to manage transportation benefits, strengthen enterprise transportation programs, and drive intelligent transitions of care. We blend technology and data with a human approach to break down access barriers and solve some of the biggest transportation challenges that care coordinators, providers, and payers face. Our platform maps out each patient’s unique needs and preferences for the best ride experience across clinical and social needs, ensuring greater access, improved efficiencies, lower costs, and better outcomes. Learn more at www.ridehealth.com.