In recent years, there has been a growing focus on healthcare delivery and making healthcare more accessible for patients. With the rise of technology and online platforms, healthcare providers have been exploring ways to use these tools to improve patient care and streamline healthcare delivery. One company at the forefront of this trend is Uber Health, the healthcare arm of Uber.
Uber Health initially launched in 2018 with a focus on providing non-emergency medical transportation to patients to and from medical appointments. Since then, the company has expanded its services to include medication delivery, and now, same-day prescription delivery.
The new service will enable healthcare providers and health plans that use Uber Health to manage prescription deliveries from any pharmacy in their service area through the same platform they already use to coordinate rides for patients. This means that clinicians can quickly ship medications to patients’ homes, making it easier for patients to get the medicines they need.
The move into prescription delivery is part of Uber’s broader push into healthcare delivery, with a particular focus on transporting patients to medical appointments and home drug delivery. The company has also signaled that it would soon be moving into the delivery of healthy food and over-the-counter medicine, including to Medicare Advantage and Medicaid beneficiaries.
“At Uber Health, we are building solutions that address lessons we’ve learned from years at healthcare companies operating in value-based care contracts. Too much time has been spent ensuring patients had a ride to their follow-up appointment, had picked up the right prescriptions, or had access to food,” said Caitlin Donovan, global head of Uber Health in a statement.
The new prescription delivery service is designed to address one of the key challenges in healthcare delivery: ensuring patients take their medication as prescribed. Many patients don’t take their medications as prescribed because they don’t make it to the pharmacy to pick them up. By enabling the patient care team to arrange for the medications to be shipped directly to patients and track when the medications arrive, Uber Health can help ensure that patients take their medications as prescribed.
Overall, the move into prescription delivery is part of Uber Health’s broader efforts to create a more connected care journey through a single, seamless platform. The company has already signed up more than 3,000 healthcare customers, including Boston Medical Center and ModivCare, to provide access to rides to medical appointments. With the addition of prescription delivery, the company is taking another step towards transforming healthcare delivery and making healthcare more accessible for patients.
