Nicole Cooper, DrPH, will serve as Lyft's new head of healthcare policy, overseeing the rideshare company's non-emergency medical transportation initiatives.
Five things to know:
1. Dr. Cooper most recently served as vice president of corporate social responsibility at UnitedHealthcare, where she led partnerships and strategies focused on addressing basic access to care and social determinants of health for underserved communities. She was also a member of UnitedHealthcare's Culture, Inclusion and Diversity Council.
2. Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, Dr. Cooper was an Obama administration political appointee and part of HHS' team responsible for implementing the Affordable Care Act.
3. At Lyft, Dr. Cooper will oversee the company's legislative and regulatory strategy to modernize medical transportation services for Medicaid and Medicare populations across the country.
4. She will also work with Lyft's business development, government relations, compliance and strategy leaders to expand partnerships with government agencies, health payers and providers and roll out rideshare in additional states.
5. Lyft is currently available to eligible Medicaid patients in 14 states and Washington, D.C., according to a July 24 news release emailed to Becker's Hospital Review.