GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Two leading specialists in transportation services have joined forces to make it easier for hospitals, health care systems and managed care organizations to offer patients efficient transport services to and from hospital settings and medical appointments.
American Medical Response, the nation’s largest provider of medical transportation, and on-demand transportation service Lyft announced a partnership to provide non-emergency medical transportation services for patients who need a ride from the hospital to their home or to outpatient procedures. This will include technology integration and expansion of the program into all 42 states that AMR operates within.
The AMR and Lyft partnership supports AMR’s “One Call” service for health care systems’ integrated patient transport programs. Now, hospitals and caregivers can arrange any patient transport – from a non-emergency rideshare service to ambulance transport – with a single call or via an online portal.
“Our health plan and health system partners rely upon AMR and our Access2Care subsidiary to effectively manage the non-emergency transportation needs of their members. This partnership with Lyft provides an additional transport option for patients who require transportation, but do not need the services of an ambulance or other higher level of care,” Sven Johnson, CEO of Managed Transportation and Integrated Solutions at AMR, said.
The companies recognize that many hospitals are challenged to provide and pay for taxi vouchers and other forms of transportation for discharged patients. Additionally, missed appointments are a significant driver of cost and delay in outpatient procedures. Through the Lyft partnership, AMR hospital, health systems and health plan clients can participate in “One Call” services that allow the hospital, clinic or health plan to request and pay for rides for patients who do not have access to other transportation – ultimately improving outcomes and lowering costs. The Lyft rideshare services are a fraction of the cost of traditional taxis, and Lyft’s platform allows hospitals and others complete visibility into transport spend, removing the risk of abuse associated with poorly tracked paper vouchers.
“We are looking forward to working with American Medical Response as an on-demand transportation partner,” Gyre Renwick, head of health care partnerships, said. “This opportunity to extend our services to the health care community allows us to align with AMR’s mission of making a difference by caring for people in need.”