Hospitals, Patient Engagement

Ford Motor Co. launches non-emergency medical transport service (Updated)

Ford's GoRide program through its Smart Mobility division represents a new kind of business moving into the non-emergency medical transportation business. Could other car manufacturers follow?

Note: This post has been updated with comments from Minyang Jiang, Ford New Business Lead, who heads up Ford GoRide, and Paul LaCasse, executive vice president of post-acute care and diversified business operations at Beaumont Health.

The business of non-emergency medical transportation has been heating up with Lyft’s and Uber’s expansion into healthcare. But Ford Motor Co’s move into this sector is a particularly interesting development. Ford is offering its  GoRide transportation service as part of its Ford Smart Mobility division. It is currently providing trips to doctor’s appointments as part of a program with Michigan health system Beaumont Health, according to a company news release.

GoRide is geared to people with mobility challenges, particularly the elderly and patients in wheelchairs. The launch of the service follows a pilot program with Beaumont from August 13 to December 23 last year, according to Minyang Jiang, Ford New Business Lead, who heads up Ford GoRide.

Vehicles in the Ford GoRide fleet are designed to accommodate different types of patients and can adapt to transport two wheelchair positions, according to the release. Many of the vehicles in the fleet include a wide wheelchair lift. By the end of the year, the goal is to have 60 vehicles.

Jiang believes that its own fleet of drivers for the GoRide program, the values they embrace and the training they undergo sets its program apart from other companies in NEMT. She said she’s unaware of other car makers doing similar programs.

There is a trust gap in the field,” she said. “When working with vulnerable people, it takes time to build trust, but we are very protective of it. We have also heard that [other healthcare institutions] felt like they have been burned by pilot partners in the past when they stopped focusing on the customers…”

Ford is using its own fleet of drivers for GoRide. They receive training on how to care for and transport patients requiring non-emergency medical support. From Jiang’s perspective, the training program is a critical part of the GoRide program. In addition to some self-guided training online, there is an emphasis on empathy with and respect for their passengers. Fleet drivers are expected to assist passengers to and from the door of their private residences to appointments. The fleet drivers are also trained to support patients in skilled nursing facilities. CPR is part of the training, as is certification in loading and unloading wheelchair-bound passengers.

Beaumont Health’s motivation behind collaborating with Ford is NEMT services can help the health system meet its population health goals by helping patients make their primary care physician appointments, reducing the risk of sudden deterioration in their health. It also reduces the likelihood patients will feel compelled to use ambulance services needlessly. Both of these factors weigh heavily on healthcare costs, noted Paul LaCasse, executive vice president of post-acute care and diversified business operations at Beaumont Health. Describing the pilot of GoRide in a phone interview, he pointed out that drivers were on time and successfully picked up passengers 94 percent of the time.

“In this industry that’s exceptional.”

LaCasse also highlighted some of the pain points that he believes Ford can solve.

“The [NEMT] industry is tremendously fragmented and there’s little standardization. Oftentimes the companies out there provide poor service. They’re not technologically enabled or they don’t train their drivers properly.”

How GoRide is ordered depends on the need. For discharges, Beaumont tends to arrange the service. But caregivers can also order a vehicle on someone else’s behalf as well.

The plan is to expand the program regionally to Ohio, Illinois and other parts of the Midwest through partnerships with payers, health systems,  corporate nursing facilities and assisted living companies.

Ford developed the technology to support the program in-house, including logistics and call center support software. Jiang added that the company is interested in integrating other services within the GoRide program as it adds more healthcare customers. Jiang noted in a blog post that with the GoRide program Ford seeks to make itself “a trusted partner in population health management.”

Jiang said the company analyzes data it acquires to better understand and address with its healthcare partners the social determinants of health. As an example, Jiang said if GoRide were dispatched to pick up a patient discharged from the hospital they could ensure they had fresh groceries.

Ford marks the first car manufacturer to move into the NEMT business. It joins many other businesses that have begun working in this healthcare segment. In addition to Lyft and Uber, other companies in this area include Roundtrip, Circulation, and Veyo.

Photo: Ford Motor Co’s GoRide service

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