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Uber and Lyft: the key players behind ride-sharing’s move into health care

It’s been a big year for ride-sharing: Rival companies Uber and Lyft both went public. Their drivers went on strike, demanding fair wages and better treatment. At the same time, the companies have continued their steady expansion into health care.

Both Uber and Lyft have built out robust teams dedicated to the medical transportation market. They see huge potential in tapping into their driver networks to shuttle patients to and from doctors’ appointments.

There’s a demand for that service: Research has shown that a lack of transportation is a top reason why some patients skip physician visits. Some insurers will pay for transportation as a way to curb health costs from missed medical appointments. There are existing non-emergency medical transportation companies that provide such rides, but some have been criticized for being difficult to use and unreliable.

Uber and Lyft are both working to streamline that service — and prove that they can save health systems money by doing so. They’ve already partnered with hundreds of hospitals, payers, transportation brokers, and others who are using their services to schedule and pay for rides for their patients.

And the path to more partnerships has gotten smoother. Last year, the federal government announced it was “reinterpreting the standards” for the health benefits that Medicare Advantage plans can offer, making it easier for ride-sharing to be one of the covered services. Both Uber and Lyft have struck deals with Medicare Advantage plans and are working on other possible partnerships.

Ride-sharing for medical appointments has also caught the attention of some state Medicaid programs. This month, lawmakers in Florida passed a bill that would cover Uber and Lyft rides for Medicaid enrollees headed to and from medical appointments. Other states are eyeing similar measures.

“We’re at a really interesting time when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid in terms of the openness to incorporate ride-sharing for the at-risk population,” Dan Trigub, head of Uber’s health unit, told STAT.

Here are five people leading Uber’s and Lyft’s push into health care.

Megan Callahan, VP of health care, Lyft

Callahan joined Lyft in 2018 to head up its health care business, which has partnered with payers, health systems, health care providers, and medical transportation brokers. Lyft also has a unique partnership with AllScripts, an electronic health care record company. Health care providers can request and schedule Lyft rides for millions of patients directly in their electronic health platforms.

“We have been forging our position in the health care ecosystem for three years now. As a result, we have a head start in creating extensive partnerships,” Callahan told STAT.

Callahan — who has a master’s in public health — came to Lyft from Change Healthcare, an analytics firm that merged with drug distributor McKesson’s technology business in 2017. Under her leadership, Lyft is pushing aggressively into deals with more Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, which she sees as a significant opportunity for the company’s health business.

“By 2020, we expect to partner with the majority of the largest MA plans, in conjunction with our broker partners,” Callahan said.

Dan Trigub, head of Uber Health

Trigub came to Uber from Lyft’s health team, where he was working on the company’s care partnerships. He took over as the head of Uber Health after Aaron Crowell, a longtime health care transportation consultant, left the gig in February.

The company’s platform allows both providers and patients to schedule rides to appointments. Uber has partnered with more than 1,000 health care organizations since launching its HIPAA-compliant dashboard last year — and that list will keep growing. Trigub said Uber is also eyeing the possibility of moving into meal delivery services that are covered by insurers.

“This is a big year in terms of building Uber partnerships,” Trigub said in an interview. “Health care is very complex and things take time. But we’re absolutely committed to this space.”

Lamis Hossain, legal director, Uber Health

The lawyer is one of Uber Health’s most recent hires, joining the company in April as the legal director for Uber Health. Hossain previously spent nearly 17 years at McKesson, including in its health care arm.

Her hire came hot on the heels of Uber’s IPO — and signals the company’s need to navigate legal and regulatory challenges as it continues to bolster its health business.

“As we expand our offerings in new areas, such as non-emergency medical transportation, we may be subject to additional health care-related federal and state laws and regulations,” Uber wrote in its IPO prospectus filed this year.

Alix Rosenthal, VP of compliance, Lyft

Rosenthal and her team are responsible for making sure the company is sticking to regulations, including the state and federal policies that govern health care transportation.

When state and federal regulators designed many policies for health care transportation, they didn’t do so with ride-sharing apps in mind. Rosenthal said Lyft has worked to educate state and federal regulators about the potential of its service for patients headed to the doctor’s office.

“Many regulators are eager for Lyft to offer rides for eligible patients, so that we can offer a cost-effective yet modern alternative to the traditional way of doing things,” Rosenthal said.

Omar Nagji, head of health care partnerships, Lyft

Nagji, who joined Lyft in 2016 as an account executive, now oversees the company’s work with health systems and medical providers.

One of those partnerships has provided data on the impact ride-sharing services might have on cutting health costs. CareMore Health — a health plan and care delivery system for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees — first launched a pilot program with Lyft in 2016 to provide rides to some enrollees. By the end of 2017, Lyft rides accounted for the majority of CareMore’s non-emergency medical transportation trips. In a blog post published on the Health Affairs website last year, CareMore’s team reported that the Lyft rides were more reliable than non-Lyft rides, had a shorter wait time, and cost 39% less on average.

When Nagji joined the company, he said Lyft was still trying to convince people that its move into health care made sense. In the years since, the company has expanded not only in the medical transportation market, but also other areas of health and well-being.

“Health care is about so much more than getting to and from hospitals or the doctor’s office,” Nagji said. The company also now offers patients a ride to and from the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions, as well as rides to the grocery store in a bid to boost access to healthy food.

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