Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health has partnered with Lyft to offer its patients and employees customized transportation programs.
The partnership with the ride-booking service allows Sutter's care sites to alter the booking service to best support their communities. This could include a rural clinic offering patients rides to and from appointments and an urban hospital covering some transportation costs for employees so they can avoid parking fees in the city, Sutter Health said in a news release.
“We are reimagining the ways we provide and deliver care, which includes increasing access to services and making them more convenient,” said Chris Waugh, chief innovation officer for Sutter Health. "Our approach takes the burden away from our patients and staff and puts them in the best position to receive the care they need or deliver the care they are trained to give."
The deal comes after the two parties tested various pilot programs, which executives say resulted in "faster, more reliable pick-ups, lower costs and an understanding of the unique needs of a healthcare environment."