Wait times for nonemergency transportation decreased 30 percent under a collaboration between CareMore Health System and transportation provider Lyft, according to recently published data in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Data from May to June involving 479 nonemergency rides for Medicaid beneficiaries in California and New York revealed average wait times decreased from 12.52 minutes to 8.77 minutes. In addition, average per-ride costs decreased about a third from $31.54 to $21.32. Patient satisfaction for the program registered at 80.8 percent, according to the data.
Patients can use the service by calling CareMore, usually 24 hours in advance, to schedule a pickup. From there, the health system and transportation company National MedTrans Network use Lyft's platform to coordinate rides.
Cerritos, Calif.-based CareMore — a Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plan and care delivery division of Anthem — said the program addresses a healthcare access problem in the U.S. An estimated 3.6 million individuals in 2005 missed or postponed nonemergency care based on lack of transportation, according to the JAMA report.
"Although the program is in the early phases, the results are promising and represent a significant shift — challenging the status quo to do what is right for patients," CareMore CEO Sachin Jain, MD, said.
According to JAMA, the data represents an opportunity to increase patient experience and decrease cost. The outcomes also show room for improvement. For instance, some beneficiaries said they were confused which vehicles to use, as they were not branded with CareMore or other logos.
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