Abstract
BackgroundTransportation barriers prevent millions of people from accessing health care each year. Health policy innovations such as shared savings payment models (commonly used in accountable care organizations) present financial incentives for providers to offer patient transportation to medical care. Meanwhile, ridesourcing companies like Uber and Lyft have entered the market to capture a significant share of spending on non-emergency health care transportation. Our research examines the current landscape of innovative health care mobility services in the US.MethodsWe conducted an environmental scan to identify case examples of utilization of ridesourcing technology to facilitate non-emergency health care transportation and developed a typology of innovative health care mobility services. The scan used a keyword-based search of news publications with inductive analysis. For each instance identified, we abstracted key information including: stakeholders, launch date, transportation provider, location/service area, payment/booking method, target population, level of service, and any documented outcomes.ResultsWe discovered 53 cases of innovation and among them we identified three core types of innovation or collaboration. The first and most common type of innovation is when a health care provider leverages ridesourcing technology to book patient trips. This involves both established and nascent transportation companies tailoring the ridesourcing experience to the health care industry by adding HIPAA-compliance to the booking process. The second type of innovation involves an insurer or health plan formally partnering with a ridesourcing company to expand transportation offerings to beneficiaries or offer these services for the first time. The third type of innovation is when a paratransit provider partners with a ridesourcing company; these cases cite increased flexibility and reliability of ridesourcing services compared to traditional paratransit.ConclusionsRidesourcing options are becoming a part of the mode choice set for patients through formal partnerships between ridesourcing companies, health care providers, insurers, and transit agencies. The on-demand nature of rides, booking flexibility, and integration of ride requests and payment options via electronic medical records appear to be the strongest drivers of this innovation.
Highlights
Transportation barriers prevent millions of people from accessing health care each year
We identified three core types of innovation: 1) When a health care provider leverages ridesourcing technology; 2) When an insurer partners with a Transportation Network Companies (TNCs); and 3) When a paratransit provider partners with a TNC
Type I: health care provider leverages ridesourcing technology The first type of innovation is when a health care provider leverages ridesourcing technology to book patient trips. This was the most common type of innovation we found and it primarily involves transportation companies tailoring the ridesourcing experience to the health care industry
Summary
Transportation barriers prevent millions of people from accessing health care each year. Health policy innovations such as shared savings payment models (commonly used in accountable care organizations) present financial incentives for providers to offer patient transportation to medical care. A systematic review concluded that transportation barriers are a significant impediment to health care access, especially for people with lower incomes or those who are underinsured or uninsured. Such barriers often include lack of access to a vehicle [3]. In many cases, riding the bus or the subway can be physically challenging for people with disabilities, chronic illness, or obesity
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
