Uber introduces Uber Health to help people get to the doctor

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Identifying a need that affects millions of people, Uber is seizing on an opportunity to get older Americans to and from the doctor’s office. The ridesharing service touted statistics this week that show that 3.6 million Americans annually miss or delay medical care because of transportation issues.

To help remedy the situation, the company has started an initiative called Uber Health. The venture, which reportedly meets all the HIPAA standards, marks Silicon Valley’s latest foray into health care.

Uber Health aims to give people reliable transportation to the doctor

Uber Health is designed to partner with health care organizations to provide dependable and comfortable transportation for patients. The company says that if you’re not comfortable operating a smartphone and similar technology, that’s OK. The Uber app is not required, nor is a smartphone.

“We’re even going to be introducing the option for riders to receive a call with trip details to their mobile phone or landline instead,” the company says in a press release. “For many, their first-ever Uber ride will be through Uber Health, so we’re committed to providing the necessary education tools that ensure every patient feels comfortable and at ease during their journey.”

Some of the features include flexible ride-scheduling for patients, caregivers and medical staff. Rides will be able to be scheduled and managed through a dashboard.

Uber Health comes along as tech companies increasingly take on health care. We’ve written about Apple’s efforts to store your health records and partner with hospitals.

More recently Amazon, JP Morgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway announced an campaign to bring affordable health care back to the masses.

If you’re an older American and need a ride to the hospital or clinic ‘ or a young person who simply doesn’t have transportation ‘ you can use Uber Health right away. Visit www.uberhealth.com to get started.

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