Uber Will Offer Trips For Medical Consultations

Washington Hispanic AP

Uber announced that it will offer trips for medical consultations as part of its efforts to expand its service area. The company said on Thursday that its Uber Health unit will make trips organized by doctors’ offices and other health service providers and will charge those businesses, not the patients.
The company said that trips can be booked hours or days in advance. Patients will not need access to a cell phone to use the service. 

Uber began testing the service last summer. More than 100 medical service providers have registered, including hospitals, clinics and physical therapy centers. 

Company officials said they are expanding services because there is a need.
“There are many people who do not go to the doctor simply because they can not physically arrive,” said Uber Health executive Jay Holley. He added that the service represents an opportunity for Uber to connect the company with new users.

Uber will charge the medical service providers that register, according to their monthly usage. Holley said some could transfer the costs to patients, but most of the providers the company has worked with so far pay for travel using money from their operating budget. 

A rival of Uber, Lyft, offers a similar service called Concierge, which allows providers to arrange patient trips for appointments. The providers pay for the trips. Lyft also has collaborations for transportation with large health service providers.