Minneapolis-based healthcare technology company Hitch Health partnered with ridesharing company Lyft to provide nonemergency medical transportation for patients who frequently miss medical appointments.
By helping patients get to their appointments, Hitch Health, co-founded by Susan Jepson, BSN, and Chip Truwit, MD, aims to reduce emergency room visits and hospital admissions.
"Over the past 18 months, Dr. Truwit and I worked with Lyft to serve one of the country's most diverse patient populations, one that includes considerable low-income, uninsured and vulnerable patients," Ms. Jepson said. "The success of that pilot program affirmed that Lyft is the right partner, and that we have a robust, easily scalable solution for patients, health systems and health plans."
In the pilot phase, which will now go live nationally, Hitch Health and Lyft focused on at-risk patients who received care at Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare facilities. The pilot's early findings found patients who missed six or more appointments the prior year started showing up for their appointments after they participated in the pilot.
"Together with Hitch Health, we're able to get thousands of people to their doctor's office or clinic in an efficient and reliable way, working towards our mission of improving people's lives with the best transportation," said Gyre Renwick, VP of Lyft Business.