A number of barriers to healthcare exist that challenge providers, insurers, and lawmakers alike to find solutions that grant access to quality care. As people on all levels of the healthcare industry looks for ways to increase access to quality care, the team at Iron Bridge works to connect all facets of the healthcare industry so that each piece of the puzzle can play its part. It was recently announced that Uber teamed up with Cerner EHR to break down a major barrier to access: reliable transportation. How has EHR integration with rideshare torn down walls within the healthcare industry, and what does this mean in the long run? The team at Iron Bridge is here to break it down for you.
Cerner’s EHR Integration with Uber
The Background on this Meaningful Partnership and EHR Integration
In an effort to increase access to reliable transportation to doctor’s appointments, Cerner’s EHR integration with Uber helps doctors schedule rideshare to and from the office. This comes as a result of patients frequently missing appointments due to not having to ability to get there, creating issues both within the doctor’s office and delayed care for patients.
EHR integration with Uber is fairly simple by premise. EHRs are more pressured than ever to align with interoperability standards — or the standards that make it easy to share information between various healthcare vendors safely, quickly, and effectively.
Providers are now able to access Uber directly within the EHR, booking ride for tests and follow-up appointments with ease. The EHR automatically provides Uber with a patient’s name, phone number, and pickup address to make this process as smooth as possible. The ability to ensure that a patient has a ride to a necessary appointment not only keeps things moving for providers, but helps decrease poor management of chronic diseases, improve patient outcomes, and ensure non-emergency transportation for everyone including caregivers and staff.
Uber isn’t the only rideshare service taking action within the healthcare industry. Lyft has also been pushing itself into the healthcare space with provider-requested rides, all of which are controlled by an API that permits integration with existing EHRs that are interoperable with other systems.
EHR Integration with Rideshare: The Big Picture
Cerner & Uber Lay the Foundation for Big Changes in Healthcare
Uber and other rideshare companies overcome a number of major barriers to healthcare accessibility in and of themselves. Creating an inexpensive resource that allows people to go to the doctor’s office or hospital without the fees associated with an ambulance reduces costs for those who are both insured and uninsured, making people more likely to seek help from a provider in the event that they need it.
It’s estimated that 3.6 million patients cannot access healthcare due to a lack of transportation, leading to more advanced and serious symptoms, more emergency room visits, and hidden costs across the board. Now that Uber can be integrated with EHRs, patients can have the transportation they need to get the care they need. Rideshare increases patient reliability, keeping things moving on the patient’s end and within the practice itself. This reduces wasted operating costs and no-show rates.
What comes next, some suggest, is insurers working with Uber and providers to help supplement transportation costs for lower-income patient populations. While this is an added expense for insurers, this can greatly support preventative care measures and save them money in the long run.
The Role of Interoperability in EHR Integration with Rideshare
Cerner & Uber Exhibit the Value of Interoperability at its Core
Interoperability at its core is all about EHR integration with the vendors and applications that make healthcare work quickly, efficiently, and as a cohesive vehicle for the betterment of others. Integrating rideshare with an EHR demonstrates the value that interoperability can bring to providers and patients in its purest essence: connecting the aspects of the healthcare industry that can catalyze real change and benefits for patients, providers, and beyond.
While Cerner and Uber have kicked off this initiative, this is far from the last EHR integration you’ll see with rideshare services. Here to make such technologies work for your EHR - and resultingly, your patients and providers - Iron bridge helps make this kind of integration pain-free for EHR vendors looking to implement it. Taking the time to ensure that your system is interoperable with the systems that support your day-to-day function, Iron Bridge connects you to new ways to improve care each and every day.
Think it’s time you see how interoperability can change your EHR for the better? Get in touch with the team at Iron Bridge today to begin exploring the possibilities.
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