On October 8, executives at the ride-share company Lyft announced that the company was integrating its technology with that of electronic health records (EHR) vendor Epic Systems Corporation, based in Verona, Wisconsin. In a statement posted to their website, Lyft executives said on Thursday morning that, “Since 2016, Lyft has been committed to improving access to care for the people who need it most — securing partnerships with the top healthcare organizations across the country and building products that can have an impact on health outcomes. As we continue to make significant investments in our healthcare product suite, we’re excited to announce that Lyft is integrating with Epic, a leading electronic health record (EHR) that the majority of top-ranked hospitals and medical schools use. Lyft worked directly with Epic to create the Lyft for Epic integration, enabling health system staff to schedule a Lyft ride for a patient directly from that patient’s record,” the announcement stated.
The announcement went on to say that “Lyft for Epic, which integrates Lyft Concierge directly into Epic, will make it easier for healthcare staff to order a Lyft ride on behalf of a patient. Staff can send reliable rides directly from a patient’s profile in the EHR — simplifying their day-to-day tasks, saving time, and allowing them to focus on what matters most: the patients. And patients can easily get to their appointments and back home after the visit without needing an app.”
Among the options now available:
> Simplify sending rides. Nurses, case managers, and other healthcare workers are already familiar with Epic — adding notes to patient files, scheduling appointments, and discharging patients. By accessing Lyft directly from the EHR, staff can schedule rides by directly accessing Lyft from a patient’s record, rather than needing to sign into a separate tool. Patient and appointment information will also pre-populate in the ride request form, reducing friction in the booking process.
> Improve appointment adherence. Arranging a Lyft ride when booking an appointment results in fewer missed appointments. Our data shows that Lyft can help providers reduce no-show rates by up to 27 percent.
> Increase operational efficiency. Arranging a Lyft ride at the time of patient discharge can lead to shorter waiting times, less crowded waiting rooms, and improved patient throughput.
> Measure patient outcomes. Most health systems have not collected data on the impact of their transportation programs. With Lyft for Epic, we’re also working towards giving health systems the ability to generate reports that make it easier to measure the impact of rideshare on health system spend and population health outcomes — potentially even tracking patient segments to proactively identify patients that would benefit from a Lyft ride.”
An article in the publication United States News noted that “The partnership allows Lyft to compete with rival Uber, which partnered with health records company Cerner last year to give patients rides for non-emergency appointments.”
Meanwhile, the Lyft announcement included statements from three senior hospital system executives.
“Access to reliable transportation is a common barrier to seeking healthcare, especially for our most vulnerable patients,” said David Carmouche, M.D., senior vice president, community care, at New Orleans’ Ochsner Health. “By teaming up to integrate Lyft into Epic – our established health record system – Ochsner is providing a solution that makes it easier for patients to seek out high quality care when they need it and without unnecessary delays due to a lack of transportation.”
“We have partnered with Lyft as an extension of the world class care TGH provides to our patients,” said Jason Swoboda, associate director of health innovation and emerging technology at Tampa General Hospital. “Interfacing Lyft with Epic, TGH’s electronic medical record, will speed up the process to order a Lyft and reduce keyboard time for our team members. This is a win for both, our team members and those we serve, allowing for more valuable time spent with our patients - ultimately impacting quality outcomes which our patients expect.”
And, said Amy Friedman, chief experience officer at Denver Health, “It is gratifying for Denver Health to have had this partnership with Lyft the past few years, and we are excited to see it expand in a positive way. Some of our patients rely on this service to get to and from Denver Health for important appointments and care. The integration with Epic will make scheduling transportation with Lyft even easier -- and that will give our providers, staff, and patients peace of mind.”
