For a trip to the ER, some are opting for Uber over an ambulance

https://www.statnews.com/2017/04/05/uber-lyft-emergency-room-ride/


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</button><nav class="header-nav nav-primary"></nav></header>HOSPITALS
For a trip to the ER, some are opting for Uber over an ambulance


LEAH SAMUEL @leah_samuel
APRIL 5, 2017

<figure class="media" style="margin: 0px;">
<source srcset="https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/uber-ambulance-1024x576.jpeg 1x ,<a href=" https:="" www.statnews.com="" wp-content="" uploads="" 2017="" 04="" uber-ambulance-1600x900.jpeg"="" target="_blank">https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/uber-ambulance-1600x900.jpeg 1.56x " media="(min-width: 768px)">

<figcaption class="media-label" style="width: 694px; padding: 11px 20px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); box-sizing: border-box;"><cite class="media-credit" style="display: block; max-width: 768px; margin-top: 1px; font-style: normal; font-size: 9px; line-height: 1; font-family: Baskerville-eText, Baskerville, Garamond, serif; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;">ALEX HOGAN/STAT</cite></figcaption></figure>




<main id="content" class="content content-main"><article id="post-217788" class="content-article post-217788 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-hospitals tag-hospitals tag-patients tag-physicians" style="position: relative;">MIllions of Americans take an ambulance trip every year; others get rides from willing friends or, tempting fate, drive themselves.
But in recent years a new trend has arisen: Instead of an ambulance, some sick people are hailing an emergency Uber.
Though firm numbers are hard to come by, drivers for Uber and Lyft say it happens with some regularity. In an online chatroom for Uber drivers, dozens of posters share experiences with passengers who hail a ride with bloody cuts, asthma, anaphylaxis, or broken bones.
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‘There’s definitely a liability’

Francis Piekut, who drives for Uber and Lyft, recalled a passenger who requested a pickup at a Boston-area Starbucks last year.
When Piekut arrived, he discovered it wasn’t a typical fare. “They were burned and wanted to go the emergency room,” he said. He treated the situation like any other ride, he said, dropping his passenger off at the hospital and not asking any questions. “I don’t know how bad it was, but I knew they were in pain really bad.
“I didn’t mind it,” Piekut added, saying that he would do it again. “I was already there, and I know the ambulance costs a lot.”
<aside class="read-more-wrapper" style="font-family: Arial; padding-right: 20px; padding-left: 20px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1.75em; margin-bottom: 1.75em;"></aside>But that sentiment isn’t universal. Some riders have reported being turned down for an emergency ride.
On the web forum, some drivers shared stories of refusing passengers who looked like they needed emergency medical care. They cited reasons like not wanting to get blood on their car seats, or to be stuck with a dead body in their car.
One Boston-area driver for both Uber and Lyft, who requested not to be named for fear of hurting his business, recounted the story of a group of three people who hailed him last year.
“The women tell me their friend is not feeling well, and they want me to take them to the emergency room,” he said. “I told them no and to just call 911. I have to respect the rules of the road; I can’t speed like an ambulance.
“And there’s definitely a liability thing,” the driver added. “If anything happened to the guy, it’s definitely on me and the insurance I have to carry.”
Officially Uber agrees that riders should call local police or emergency medical services for emergencies.
“It’s important to note that Uber is not a substitute for law enforcement or medical professionals,” said Uber spokesperson Brooke Anderson by email. “In the event of any medical emergency, we encourage people to call 911.”
Still, despite that official stance, the company does occasionally honor driverson its website for providing emergency transport.
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</aside>Emergency departments respond

A motivating factor for patients can be cost. The price of an ambulance ride to the hospital can range from $600 to $1000, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, while ride-hailing would rarely hit three figures. Moreover, with ride-hailing, customers know the cost of a trip before they book it. Ambulance services, by contrast, send bills long after they are used, and often the final amount is unknown until the bill is received.
And using Uber or Lyft also lets users choose the hospital, said Chandra Steele, who wrote about taking Uber to the emergency room last summer in PC Magazine. Her medical emergency was severe bleeding, and she knew where she wanted to go.
“My brother was a doctor at the hospital I wanted, but ambulances have to follow certain protocols,” she said. “Ambulances just take you to the closest hospital, which wasn’t the one I wanted to go to.”
And some emergency departments are even beginning to embrace the idea. Last summer, Washington, D.C., city officials began studying the use of ride-hailing to respond to what they describe as “non-emergency, low-acuity” calls, which accounted for nearly half the city’s 911 calls in 2015, according to a report released in February.
“In our research, we found that many of these calls did not require an ambulance,” said District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department spokesperson Doug Buchanan. In fact, he added, it would be better if more people used ride-hailing services instead of an ambulance.
“We would love our residents to take that initiative,” he said.
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Yelp is actually pretty good at hospital ratings

</aside>Operators would route medical emergency calls to triage nurses, who would then determine whether the situation calls for an ambulance, a ride-hailing service, or something else altogether. It’s unclear whether drivers would get any special training for transporting such passengers.
The program is part of the mayor’s budget which will be voted on next month.
Dr. Mark Plaster, an emergency room physician in Baltimore, concurs that trips to the ER can vary greatly in severity — and that the transport options should as well.
“I would hope that no one who needed truly urgent medical attention would take an Uber,” he said. “If you need medical care en route, a private car is a bad idea, because you won’t have the personnel or equipment to treat you.”
He is not completely against the idea, however.
“Rideshares don’t take ambulances out of service, and not everybody coming into the ER is in a dire situation,” he said. “And the ambulance can be expensive.”
“I don’t care how they get there,” he added. “Just get there.”

</article><aside class="content-footer" style="font-family: Arial;">Leah Samuel can be reached at leah.samuel@statnews.com


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it's a no brainer that calling an uber to get to the ED is inappropriate

halekulani said:

it's a no brainer that calling an uber to get to the ED is inappropriate

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I'm a retired professional firefighter/paramedic for a big city fire department. You wouldn't believe the bullshit that people call 911 for and expect a ride in an ambulance to the hospital. Most "emergencies" do not require an ambulance and a car is very appropriate. I commend those calling an Uber vs. a city operated 911 emergency vehicle. An "emergency" to you may not necessarily be a life threatening emergency, which is what 911 is designed for. When a selfish, cock-sucking prick w/ a common cold for 3 days calls 911 at 330am because he's too lazy or "too sick" to get a ride to the hospital that incident alone sets into motion something that could (and has) cost lives; when you call 911 generally a fire engine w/ a crew of 3 to 4 members responds along w/ a rescue/ambulance w/ a 2 person crew. This takes those two units out of service to deal w/ the BS "emergency".....then a real life-threatening call comes in (say a heart attack, a structure fire w/ occupants inside, a high-impact car accident w/ multiple victims/patients, etc)....this causes the next closest units to be dispatched. Often the "next closest" units are on another call....requiring the next, next closest units to be dispatched....which leads to a 15+ minute response time vs. a 5-10 minute response time....leading to the real emergency worsening.

Kudos to anyone using their personal vehicle, Uber, calling a friend or family, etc vs. calling 911 when they know good and well they aren't going to die. It's selfish and shameful.

if your insurance doesn't cover your ambulance ride and you have a non life threatening issues, Uber/Lyft is the smart way to go.

Mr_Mark said:

if your insurance doesn't cover your ambulance ride and you have a non life threatening issues, Uber/Lyft is the smart way to go.

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For sure. This is not new. As a kid someone was always getting hurt. Skatebd , dirtbike etc, we always called a cab or some other way than a rip off, scam ambulance. It's sad that the when you are at your worst point of your life the whole medical system totally rips you off. Big time scam.

Joe Shmoe said:

For sure. This is not new. As a kid someone was always getting hurt. Skatebd , dirtbike etc, we always called a cab or some other way than a rip off, scam ambulance. It's sad that the when you are at your worst point of your life the whole medical system totally rips you off. Big time scam.

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Trust me, the ride in an ambulance is free for more than half the calls.....they simply don't pay the bill. The billing for fire/rescue services is generally done by an outside collection service contracted by the city/agency. I've responded to the same piece of trash "citizen" for BS call after BS call....and transported to the hospital. These people are completely selfish and have no shame whatsoever. They call 911 assuming they'll get taken right into the ER (vs. waiting in the lobby).....then get triaged and placed right in the waiting room. Meanwhile, that 911 Emergency vehicle is out of service dealing w/ the BS call while a real emergency happens. This is an everyday occurrence in every city in America.