Uber expands its health division to include grocery and OTC medication delivery
Research underscores how daily lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious food, sleeping well, and relieving stress can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases and early mortality.
Prevention over treatment has been gaining traction as a way to prioritize health and overall well-being. Food is a major player in that equation, and Uber is taking note.
Today, the rideshare service announced that its health care division—Uber Health—will now provide grocery and over-the-counter (OTC) delivery under the same umbrella using Uber Eats. Since launching in 2018, Uber Health has worked with providers and patients to enable transportation to medical facilities for non-emergency visits. They also provide same-day prescription delivery. Now, they aim to be a “one-stop shop” for preventative health care, Caitlin Donovan, Global Head of Uber Health, tells Fortune.
“Typically, if you have food access issues, you also have transportation issues,” she says. “And so it makes it a whole lot easier for the patient [and] their care coordinator to navigate.”
Insurance companies, providers, and caregivers can use Uber Health’s delivery services to serve their patients.
“They can actually walk through the grocery store with the patient to say, Here’s what you need. I’m ordering you apples and I’m ordering you whatever it might be that’s appropriate for the patient from a dietary standpoint,” Donovan says. “They can request an order on their behalf, and then the patient can view the cart so they can repeat that grocery list over and over again.”
According to Uber’s press release, more than 3,000 health care customers use the ride-share company’s health care services, including Boston Medical Center and ModivCare.
“This is entirely insurance-funded, provider-funded—incentivized to spend the right dollar to keep the patient healthier,” Donovan says, adding the prioritization of value-based care.
For those who are not eligible for the services, the cost will depend on the consumer’s needs and be comparable to other meal delivery services, Donovan says.
As their expansion takes off, Donovan hopes the platform will become a part of an integrated health care experience where providers go beyond merely recommending a healthy diet, but rather help put the food on the table.
It’s what happens beyond the “four walls of a hospital” that can make a difference, Donovan says.
