Ride-sharing app launches service to take patients to doctor’s visits
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Ride-sharing apps have changed the way people travel from place to place.
Smartphone application Uber launched a new service in March. The new service is called Uber Health and aimed to help people get to their doctor’s appointments.
Each year, 3.6 million Americans miss appointments because they do not have reliable transportation, according to the Community Transportation Association.
Trauma surgeon Jamie Coleman at IU Health said the advancements in technology are helping medicine.
“You can make appointments online, you can now use an app to get to your appointment, you can email your doctor in some cases. With all this technology, we’re trying to make sure patients get to their doctor when and if they need to be seen,” Coleman said.
She said it is important people get to their appointments when they are scheduled.
“If a doctor has made an appointment or has said, ‘I need to see you in my office’, there’s a reason. Medications need to be checked, lab work, blood work, tests, things to follow up on. These are things if you miss can have serious consequences,” she added.
The way it works is that a healthcare associate will book the appointment and can schedule it up to 30 days in advance. The patient does not have to have a smartphone or the app because contact is done through text or phone call.
To learn more about the service, click here.