Sutter Physician Services, a healthcare management company and affiliate of Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health, is collaborating with transportation provider Lyft to enhance patient access to non-emergency appointments.
The collaboration will enable SPS' customers to find reliable transportation to appointments, alleviating issues of access due to age, location or socioeconomic status and reducing financial implications of no-shows.
SPS will become the centralized dispatcher for Sutter Health and its provider group customers who want to offer this service for patients. Currently, SPS has a contact center that facilitates patient scheduling and registration. SPS will now also be able to schedule immediate or future rides for customers, using Lyft Concierge, a specialized platform.
Patients will not need the Lyft smartphone app to access this service; instead, they will simply be notified via text when the Lyft arrives.