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Ride Health Hails Uber Health as a Ride-Sharing Partner in 30 States

Analysis  |  By Mandy Roth  
   January 21, 2020

The relationship enhances patient transportation options for Ride Health customers and will grow as the company expands to all states by Q3 2020.

The road to healthcare appointments just became less congested as two key players in the health transportation business have devised a ride-sharing strategy of their own. Ride Health has formed a partnership with Uber Health as one of its vendors to provide services in 30 states where Ride Health already operates.

Ride Health contracts directly with health systems, health plans, hospitals, and healthcare organizations to provide a variety of non-emergency transportation services and vehicles to get patients to and from appointments, Imran Cronk, CEO, and founder of Ride Health, tells HealthLeaders.

Ride Health's web-based, mobile-enabled platform coordinates access to a variety of ride options including wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV), ambulances, public transit, and taxis. Uber Health will now operate as an additional provider in all markets where Ride Health is active, says Cronk. Uber Health will continue to operate independently in these markets.

"Uber Health is [now] a piece of our broader network, and we're delighted to work with them," says Cronk. The relationship will provide added flexibility to Ride Health's network via Uber Health's WAV and UberAssist products, which provide assistance to seniors and people with disabilities, according to a news release.

Related: Why Health Systems Need Ride-Share Partnerships

Ride Health is in an active growth mode and the relationship with Uber Health will expand with them as the company grows, says Cronk.

"We're in the process of nationwide expansion," Cronk says. "Probably by Q3 of this year," he says, "we anticipate being in all 50 states and in every county because of our pipeline that we have at the moment, including one organization that has a national footprint, as well as myriad other health systems and health plans."

Ride Health's platform currently has bi-directional integration with Epic to allow ride scheduling from inside the EHR (electronic health record), says Cronk. The platform has the potential to integrate with 30+ other EHRs, he says.

According to Ride Health, the National Academy of Sciences says an estimated 3.6 million Americans miss or delay medical care each year because of transportation issues. "Some studies peg the cost of missed doctor's appointments at over $150 billion annually," the Ride Health news release says. "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."

"Reliable and efficient non-emergency medical transportation is essential to improving health outcomes," says Dan Trigub, head of Uber Health in the release.  We are pleased to partner with Ride Health to continue increasing access to care for all communities, but especially our most underserved."

“Uber Health is [now] a piece of our broader network.”

Mandy Roth is the innovations editor at HealthLeaders.

Photo credit: Photo Courtesy of Ride Health


KEY TAKEAWAYS

Ride Health's platform will expand to include Uber Health as an option in its network of non-emergency transportation services.

Uber Health will continue operating independently in all markets.

Ride Health plans to expand from 30 to all 50 states later this year.


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