Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft are working to establish a footprint in the nonemergency medical transportation business, but it's unclear how popular on-demand rides to healthcare appointments will be with patients, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Four things to know:
1. Nonemergency medical transportation, which is typically paid for by third-party payers, helps elderly patients or those lacking reliable transportation get to healthcare appointments, according to WSJ.
2. Uber and Lyft are competing for a slice of the nonemergency medical transportation business, which Dan Trigub, head of Uber Health, estimates is worth $15 billion annually, according to the report.
3. Uber and Lyft have established business units dedicated to nonemergency medical transportation. Uber is working with more than 1,000 healthcare organizations and Lyft recently became a covered transportation option for Medicaid beneficiaries in Arizona, according to WSJ.
4. Nonemergency medical transportation could be a lucrative opportunity for ride-hailing companies. However, it's still unclear how popular on-demand rides will be with patients, according to WSJ.
Access the full WSJ article here.
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