Transportation to medical appointments remains an issue for those veterans seeking access to VA healthcare. VA’s Veteran Transportation Program (VTP) and Uber Health have partnered to help address this issue by offering a supplemental transportation option for veterans travelling to and from their medical care appointments.
Veterans do not need to pay or tip the Uber driver. The VA Medical Center’s Transportation Coordinator is responsible for arranging the veteran’s ride, as well as sharing the Uber license plate number, make, model and color of the car with the veteran.
The VA Uber Health Connect Initiative launched as pilot program in 2022 at ten VA Medical Centers. From January 2022 to March 2023, VA Uber Health Connect completed more than 30,000 Uber rides across 408,529 miles for Veterans. These rides have increased access, improved clinical engagement, and saved VA an estimated $35 million. The cost savings are in part from faster emergency department and inpatient discharges as well as closing the gap on an estimated 28,000 missed appointments.
As the program continues to expand, more veterans across the country will have increased access to reliable transportation and fewer barriers to care. Veterans needing access to and from medical care may contact their Beneficiary Travel Point of Contact to arrange a ride or to learn more about the VA and Uber Health initiative at their local VA Medical facility.
Uber Health for Non-Veterans
Individuals in the United States miss medical appointments every year due to transportation issues. Since July 2017, Uber Health has been partnering with healthcare organizations to build something together to help meet their unique transportation needs. Today, Uber Health is a HIPAA-supported technology solution that has helped hundreds of thousands of patients and caregivers get to and from care. Providers can also use Uber Health to help get crucial staff to work.
Passengers do not need the Uber app or even a smartphone to get a comfortable, reliable ride to and from medical care with Uber Health.
The Uber Health platform helps improve patient care by enabling healthcare organizations to arrange rides and services on behalf of others by using a centralized, easy-to-use dashboard or an API (Application Programming Interface).
Uber Health is currently available in the United States everywhere that Uber is available. With an Uber Health account, healthcare coordinators can request or schedule a ride 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For more information about Uber Health, please visit https://www.uberhealth.com/us/en/faq/