Through a new collaboration with risk transfer care coordination company Carisk Partners, Uber Health will provide medical transportation to injured workers, according to a news release.
Carisk assists insurers, government entities, self-insured plan sponsors and other managed care organizations. Previously known as Concordia Care, it aims to manage challenges for the group health, casualty and auto markets.
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Uber officially launched Uber Health in March 2018. The service allows care coordinators to set up rides a few hours in advance or up to 30 days in advance. They can also schedule and manage more than one ride at a time using the company’s HIPAA-compliant dashboard.
Via text messages, patients receive a booking confirmation, driver information, location, time of arrival and a link to a map for real-time visibility of the driver’s location.
Organizations using Uber Health are billed each month for the cost of patient rides, which are on par with standard Uber rates at the time of the ride booking.
“Getting to and from medical appointments can be stressful and expensive, with transportation delays posing a barrier to care that can compromise patient outcomes and impose higher healthcare costs,” said Carisk senior vice president of clinical strategy Alana Letourneau in a statement. “This relationship helps to resolve these issues by offering a level of convenience, comfort and reduced stress for not only the injured worker, but also claims staff who are tasked to reschedule missed appointments or make alternate transportation arrangements.”
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In addition to Uber, other transportation companies are also moving into the healthcare space.
Last month, for instance, Ford Motor Company revealed that it intends to expand its GoRide non-emergency medical transportation business nationwide. GoRide will start its expansion plans in Ohio. It currently operates in Toledo and will bring its service to Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus by the end of 2019. This year, it also plans on offering its services to cities in Florida, beginning with Miami. In 2020, the organization intends to expand to other states including California, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas.
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