Uber Health: a taxi instead of an ambulance?
The most popular ride-sharing company Uber announced a new service – Uber Health – that will transport users to and from healthcare facilities. Uber Health is not designed to be used as ambulance alternatives. The platform will allow healthcare providers to assign rides for their patients, ensuring they can access care in hospital or clinic and are safely returning home. According to the representatives of the Uber service, it will enable doctors to provide rides for patients who might otherwise miss their appointments because they cannot get to them, including patients with limited liabilities, or to undergo scheduled or unscheduled medical examination, etc. Many doctors call cabs for their patients. The use of Uber ride-hailing apps could ease significantly the work of medical vehicle fleet. According to Leon Moscatel, an employee of the San Diego Health Department, the survey of ambulance usage rates found a 7 percent decline that explained by a growth in Uber Health ride hailing. Uber Health has been in testing since July with a hundred of American medical institutions – hospitals, rehabilitation centers and primary health care centers. The technology has proved its successfulness, so that wider implementation is possible now. Uber Health is an excellent platform for healthcare institutions and medical service providers. This platform, which has an official partnership with healthcare organizations, will give patients the option to schedule their own rides or have rides scheduled for them. Users will also be able to schedule rides up to 30 days in advance. Multiple rides can be ordered at once.
