People Are Using Ubers Instead Of Ambulances

January 16, 2018 in Daily Bulletin

Brad Jones wrote about an unexpected healthcare cost reduction method:

  • Getting into an ambulance can cost patients over $1,000 in the US.
  • A study found that in cities where ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft are available, there is a 7% reduction in the number of people who travel in ambulances.
  • There are dangers. A patient might call an Uber to the nearest hospital – only to find that hospital doesn’t have the right kinds of specialists, wasting what could be crucial time as the patient is moved to another hospital.
  • But as long as patients are using them for non-critical emergencies it should reduce the demand for ambulance services, improving overall response times.
  • This should also help reduce the overall cost of healthcare in the United States – which on a per capita basis is the highest in the world.

Read more on Futurism.

Via: Marginal Revolution

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