(Update: This article has been updated to include comments from Megan Callahan, Lyft’s new vice president of healthcare.)
San Francisco-based Lyft has hired Megan Callahan as its first vice president of healthcare, the rideshare company announced Thursday.
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In response to emailed questions, Callahan said she started her position earlier this month.
In her new role, she will grow Lyft’s healthcare business by developing technology to better collaborate with the organization’s healthcare partners. She also said that in the near future, she’ll be “focused on continuing to find ways to reduce the healthcare transportation gap for patients.”
Callahan comes to Lyft from the healthcare world, having most recently served as chief strategy officer of Change Healthcare, a company formed by combining substantially all of Change Healthcare Holdings’ businesses and the majority of McKesson Technology Services. Prior to that role, Callahan was McKesson’s senior vice president of corporate strategy and business development.
When asked what led her to take the gig at Lyft, Callahan said the chance to work on the access side of healthcare was compelling. She elaborated, noting that she sees it as an exciting opportunity to reimagine transportation in healthcare.
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“Second, there is an opportunity to leverage transportation not just for traditional medical appointments, but also for preventative opportunities, with social determinants of health,” she said.
Additionally, Callahan said the “strong foundation that the Lyft team has already created” was a draw. She further noted that she’s passionate about bringing her expertise from leading healthcare IT organizations to Lyft.
The San Francisco on-demand transportation company has been edging its way into the healthcare realm and more specifically, the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) space.
Lyft has teamed up with organizations like Hackensack Meridian Health and CareMore Health, a division of insurer Anthem, to provide NEMT to patients in need of a ride. Additionally, it recently partnered with startup Call9 to give rides to family members of nursing home patients.
The company also said it has partnerships with healthcare systems (like Ascension), NEMT brokers (like LogistiCare), insurers (like UnitedHealthcare) and EHR vendors (like Allscripts).
Meanwhile, competing entities have been branching into the NEMT landscape. Uber, for instance, initiated Uber Health earlier this year. The service allows healthcare organizations to order rides for patients to get to and from appointments. Ford Motor Company has also launched its own NEMT service, GoRide, and brought it to Detroit Medical Center.
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