Whether it’s helping seniors regain their independence, providing newfound mobility to those living in underserved areas, or providing a safe alternative to drinking and driving, Uber has changed the way people live their lives in ways that were never expected.

Yet, still, there’s so much more that can be done. We’re unveiling a new service focused on an issue vital to all of us: health. Every year, 3.6 million Americans miss doctor appointments due to a lack of reliable transportation.* No-show rates are as high as 30% nationwide.** And while transportation barriers are common across the general population, these barriers are greatest for vulnerable populations, including patients with the highest burden of chronic disease.

Today, we’re introducing Uber Health as a way to partner with healthcare organizations to provide reliable, comfortable transportation for patients. The dashboard allows healthcare professionals to order rides for patients going to and from the care they need. We are also launching an Uber Health API to enable easy integrations into existing healthcare products. Developed with healthcare in mind, new features include:

Flexible ride scheduling for patients, caregivers and staff. Coordinators can schedule rides on behalf of patients, caregivers and staff to take place immediately, within a few hours, or up to 30 days in advance. This allows for transportation to be scheduled for follow-up appointments while still at the healthcare facility. Multiple rides can be scheduled and managed at the same time, all from a single dashboard.

Access for patients without a smartphone. Riders don’t need the Uber app, or even a smartphone, to get a ride with Uber Health because it’s all done through text message. 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. 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.

Simple billing, reporting, and management . Organizations can easily keep track of what they’re spending on rides. Reporting on requested rides and viewing monthly billing statements, appointments, and scheduling reports is simple.

HIPAA Compliance. To ensure Uber Health meets HIPAA standards, we have been working hard to develop, implement, and customize numerous safeguards. We also worked with Clearwater Compliance, a leading HIPAA compliance company, to conduct comprehensive risk and compliance assessments. We are thus pleased to sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with our healthcare partners.

Over 100 healthcare organizations in the U.S, including hospitals, clinics, rehab centers, senior care facilities, home care centers, and physical therapy centers are already using Uber Health as a part of the beta program, including Adams Clinical, Blood Centers of the Pacific, Georgetown Home Care, LifeBridge Health, MedStar Health, Manhattan Women’s Health, NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, Pro Staff Physical Therapy, ProActive Work Health Services, Project Open Hand, Renown Health, Thundermist Health Center and Yale New Haven Health. Healthcare technology companies like Bracket Global and Collective Health are also exploring ways that Uber Health can work with their offerings.

“Uber has helped us drastically reduce appointment cancellations. It’s great to be able to quickly request a ride with so that in-need patients can make an appointment they’d otherwise miss. ” – Pete Celano, Director of Consumer Health Initiatives, MedStar Health “Coordinating rides for patients with Uber Health has been incredibly easy. By allowing us to schedule multiple rides at once we’ve been more productive and able to focus on the patient experience. Our patients have been very receptive and enjoy this wonderful service Uber and Pro Staff Physical Therapy offers.” – Areyls Rodriguez, Receptionist, Clifton ProStaff “My health crisis was a lot to manage. Knowing I had reliable and comfortable transportation to and from my oncology appointments was one less burden on a very long list.” – Patient, San Diego, CA

Both our dashboard and API are available publicly starting today everywhere in the U.S. Visit www.uberhealth.com to learn more about the unique features designed specifically for health. Keeping our partners and their patients in mind, we’re looking forward to seeing what’s possible when transportation is no longer a barrier to care.

*Source: Community Transportation Association

**Source: SCI Solutions