Luma Health and Uber Health Partner to Drive Patient Access to Care

Access to affordable and reliable transportation is a major social determinant of health for many patients. In fact, for many providers, accessible and affordable transportation is one of the leading causes of appointment no-shows and cancellations. To address this critical barrier to care, Luma Health and Uber Health will partner to allow providers to easily offer rides to their patients, boosting access to care for their patient population.

Medicaid beneficiaries cite transportation as a major barrier to medical care due to cost, lack of transportation options, or geographic isolation. Multiple other studies have found similar results among broader patient populations. A study in Cleveland found a third of patients had a hard time getting to their health care appointments. One in New York found that patients who had to take the bus were twice as likely to miss their appointment.

Access to health care is the first step in building a valuable patient-provider relationship and moving the needle on quality outcomes. The Luma Health-Uber Health partnership will boost access to care, improve the patient experience, and drive revenue for healthcare providers.

Clinics, practices, and systems of all sizes know how important patient access to care is to their operations and financial sustainability. For providers, ridesharing can help drive down no-shows and appointment cancellations. Partnering with healthcare organizations nationwide has given Luma Health the necessary data to accurately identify the best parameters on which to offer rides to patients.

Access to reliable and affordable transportation is a real concern for many patients across the nation. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), safety-net providers, and other primary care and specialty care providers serving patients with limited transportation options know first-hand the extent of the problem. It has a palpable impact on patients’ health outcomes.

Furthermore, organizational success in value-based care arrangements depends on managing care for a defined patient population. As providers work to secure cost savings and performance bonuses, they need effective ways to get their patients to needed care. This is why we are excited to work with Uber Health, a platform that can scale through its deep coverage across the U.S., including underserved communities.

Upon the cancellation of an appointment, Luma Health automatically qualifies the patient for an Uber ride based on parameters defined by the clinic. These rules help ensure that the right patients get the offer based on cost, distance, appointment type, and provider. If the patient qualifies, he or she will be given an offer that they can accept right from their phone.

When a patient accepts the offer, the ride is automatically arranged for the patient from their home to their scheduled appointment. On the day of the appointment, the patient responds to the automated text message to trigger the ride when ready. The patient is then matched to a driver on the Uber platform.

The whole patient experience is seamlessly executed through text messaging–no downloads, no log-ins, no portals.

We are excited to announce our new partnership with Uber Health to boost access to health services in communities across the country. By working together, we hope to address one of the top barriers in patient access to care — reliable and affordable transportation.

To learn how your organization can participate, please contact us by completing the form below.