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Uber Health Lets Doctor's Offices Order Patients a Ride

As a patient, you don't even need to have a smartphone to take advantage of this new service.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Have a doctor's appointment on your calendar but no way to get there? Uber just launched a new service that may solve that problem.

Dubbed Uber Health, the service lets healthcare professionals order their patients a ride. More than 100 US healthcare organizations – "including hospitals, clinics, rehab centers, senior care facilities, home care centers, and physical therapy centers" – have already been using the new service as part of a beta program, Uber Health General Manager Chris Weber wrote in a blog post.

Uber Health

"Every year, 3.6 million Americans miss doctor appointments due to a lack of reliable transportation," Weber pointed out, citing research from the Community Transportation Association. "These barriers are greatest for vulnerable populations, including patients with the highest burden of chronic disease."

With Uber Health, healthcare professionals can schedule rides for their patients to take immediately, or up to 30 days in the future.

"This allows for transportation to be scheduled for follow-up appointments while still at the healthcare facility," Weber wrote. "Multiple rides can be scheduled and managed at the same time, all from a single dashboard."

As a patient, you don't even need to have a smartphone to take advantage of this new service. Uber will send you a text message with your trip details or call your mobile phone or landline with this information.

"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," Weber wrote.

The list of healthcare organizations participating in the beta includes: 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. Uber says the system is HIPAA compliant and lets organizations "easily keep track of what they're spending on rides."

Meanwhile, this isn't Uber's first foray into healthcare. The company in 2015 experimented with on-demand flu shots.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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