(Credit: Central Health District)
Under a nine-month partnership with Lyft, missed doctor’s appointments are down by one-fourth, and monthly visits by chronically-ill patients have doubled. That’s according to the latest figrues from Central Health, Travis County’s taxpayer-supported hospital district, which focuses in large part on the county’s indigent, low-income, and homeless residents.
Central Health launched the transportation pilot in January 2019 to help patients get to medical appointments. Since then, the program has reportedly provided 2400 Lyft rides free-of-charge to more than 400 patients to and from the Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center.
“Lack of reliable transportation is one of the biggest barriers preventing people with low income from seeing a doctor,” said Mike Geeslin, President and CEO of Central Health. “It leads to missed appointments, which leads to poorer health and higher health care costs. Giving a person a ride to a clinic has a positive effect on the people we serve.”
Central Health analyzed data and conducted interviews with the clients and medical staff to understand the overall impact of the initiative. The findings for patients who used the service include:
- A 25% decrease in missed appointments,
- Monthly visits for chronic condition patients doubled,
- Approximately 3% of the wellness center’s patient population used the transportation program; and
- Clients used the service to access medical appointments, eligibility services, pharmacy, the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) office, Zumba and cooking classes, and other services available at the wellness center.
“[Before the Lyft pilot], I’d missed several important appointments because I couldn’t get there,” Webberville resident Mary Johnson said. “Now, I make all my appointments. My health has gotten a lot better, my blood pressure’s dropping, and my diabetes is getting better.”
Based on the results of the pilot, Central Health is considering extending the pilot in the upcoming year.
Central Health provided $50,000 to cover the costs of the pilot through September 30. As of September 1, the pilot had provided 2460 rides at a total cost of $ $37,661, averaging $15.31 per ride.
