Access to Health Care Made Easier with Uber
MedStar, Uber work together to get patients to appointments
A new collaboration between MedStar Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in the region, and Uber will give patients a new option for ensuring they can get to and from health care appointments.
Uber is a technology company that is changing the way people move. Missed doctor appointments are often attributed to a lack of transportation. The Uber arrangement can be used for any MedStar appointment, whether it is with Pediatrics or Primary Care or any of the myriad options MedStar offers for comprehensive health care.
The MedStar website now has a “Ride with Uber” button displayed prominently. By clicking the button, patients can quickly find out the wait time and approximate cost of a ride. They can then set a reminder to notify them an hour before their appointment, helping to keep them on schedule.
“Patients expect the same level of seamless integration in health care as they do in other aspects of their everyday life. MedStar is focused on becoming a premier digital health care organization. Our partnership with Uber is but one small step toward a future in which technology-enabled patient engagement rivals other industries that have been disrupted by digital technology,” said Michael Ruiz, MedStar vice president and chief digital officer.
Uber is available in all of the places MedStar serves, including Southern Maryland.
“Our collaboration with MedStar can help patients better plan their transportation to and from appointments, and ensure they never miss an appointment because they don’t have a ride,” said Zuhairah Washington, general manager of Uber DC.
The arrangement with Uber is another way MedStar is making it easier for residents to have access to care. For more than seven years, MedStar has increased its number of care access points from 95 in 2007 to 253 in 2014, not counting its 10 hospitals. Six new outpatient centers are planned for 2016. In addition to bricks-and-mortar sites, MedStar also has made a significant commitment to using digital technology to help consumers find physicians and schedule appointments online.
For more information and one-click access to a full list of resources available at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, visit their Leader Page.
