LifeBridge Health Drives Patient Care Coordination through Progressive Use of Uber Health
Baltimore, MD - For patients without reliable transportation, just getting to a doctor's office can be as stressful as any medical procedure. For hospitals and doctors' offices, missed appointments and cancellations not only drive up costs, but can also interfere with care as patients may miss critical follow ups or medical testing. .jpg)
To help address these important issues, LifeBridge Health has found success in a partnership with Uber Health, using the ride sharing service to ensure that patients can get to their appointments. The use of Uber Health has grown rapidly over the first full year of the partnership and is projected to provide tens of thousands of rides in 2019 for LifeBridge Health.
"As we reached out to our most vulnerable and elderly patients, we kept hearing the same thing; they knew they should have seen a doctor before their health worsened, but they didn't go because they couldn't get there," says Dr. Daniel Durand, LifeBridge Health's chief innovation officer.
LifeBridge Health joined Uber Health's pilot program in August 2017, with Uber Health officially launching in the spring of 2018.
"The program was instantly embraced by patients and a physician community passionate about extending access to care to disadvantaged and underserved populations," says Jonathan Moles, assistant vice president at LifeBridge Health.
LifeBridge Health has invested more than $500,000 over the course of the program and provided nearly 30,000 rides to patients.
As Moles explains, "LifeBridge Health will offer Uber Health to patients within 30 days of discharge from inpatient hospitalization, regardless of financial need, for access to providers in the LifeBridge Health network. Uber Health may also be used as part of care coordination in other situations, which is coordinated through our LifeLink clinical call center that works to ensure smooth care coordination between providers and patient themselves. LifeLink can set up the follow-up appointment and arrange transportation before the patient leaves the hospital."
The health system is now actively engaged in ongoing studies to understand how Uber Health can impact clinical outcomes and total cost of care.
"Follow-up care is critical after hospitalization, so we are eager to see how Uber Health may play a role in reducing hospital readmissions, as well its potential impact on quality measures and cost savings," adds Dr. Durand.
Another benefit is for provider practices themselves, which are strained by the costs associated with patient no-shows. According to one industry researcher, SCI Solutions*, patients not keeping appointments across the country are estimated to cost about $150 billion annually.
"We are proud to be partnered with LifeBridge Health to offer innovative transportation solutions to patients in a time of need. By working together, we can improve access to care for our most vulnerable populations and these efforts can deliver benefits for the healthcare ecosystem overall," states Dan Trigub, head of Uber Health.
Uber Health and its HIPAA compliant platform protects patient information with a dashboard specifically designed to meet healthcare privacy and security. It is also available 24/7, and rides can be set up in advance, which is especially helpful for patients who have regular appointments with their health providers.
LifeBridge Health has a particular interest in Uber Health because patients in communities surrounding two of LifeBridge Health's centers,