VHA Uber-Health Connect Initiative: Phase 2 Launch Roadshow
VHA Uber-Health Connect Initiative (VUHC) travelled to several VA Medical Centers throughout Florida for their Phase 2 Launch Roadshow from May 8—May 12. VUHC continues its mission to address Veteran transportation barriers while achieving cost-savings.
What is VHA Uber-Health Connect Initiative?
Access to reliable transportation is Veteran’s biggest obstacle to receiving care and costs VA $4.4 billion due to missed appointments. Dr. Indra Sandal and teams from Veteran Transportation Program (VTP), VISN 9 (covering Veterans in Tennessee, Kentucky, and parts of West Virginia, Indiana, and Mississippi) and VISN 15 (covering Veterans in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana) began working with Uber Health to address this issue in October 2020, developing the VHA Uber Health Connect Program. The VHA Uber Health Connect Program is aimed directly at addressing transportation needs and is available to all Veterans who are beneficiary travel eligible.
As a result, the first Phase of the VHA Uber Health Connect program, from January 2022 to March 2023, completed more than 30,000 Uber rides across 408,529 miles for Veterans. These rides have increased access, improved clinical engagement, and saved VA an estimated $35M.
These cost savings are in part from faster emergency department and inpatient discharges as well as closing the gap on an estimated 28,000 missed appointments. 82% of participants surveyed stated that they would not have had other means of transportation to and from their appointments without VUHC and 91% said they would recommend the program to another Veteran.
Phase 2 Launch Roadshow
The VUHC team, led by Dr. Sandal, visited several VA Medical Centers (VAMC) across VISN 8 (covering Veterans in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) to launch their Phase 2 pilot. The team met with Executive Leadership Teams at four sites including Tampa, Gainesville, Orlando, and Miami to address questions and concerns. Working closely with Mobility Managers and leadership at each VAMC, the VUHC team was able to quickly train on-site staff for smooth and immediate implementation. Staff at each location started calling rides for Veterans during the training program and were able to see the positive impact on Veterans immediately. VUHC will continue its Phase 2 Launch across nine new VISNs and 60 VAMCs over the coming months.
If you are a VA employee, contact your facility’s Mobility Manager to learn more about launching VHA Uber-Health Connect Initiative at your facility.
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