Because of the high cost of ambulance rides, people are turning to Uber and other popular ride apps to reach the ER.According to a recent working paper coauthored by a University of Kansas economist, the establishment of Uber in cities across the U.S. has cut the ambulance usage volume by %7. Stable, low risk patients may choose to avoid the expensive ambulance rides by choosing Uber.
A reasonable argument put forth by Slusky centers on the fact that “stable, low-risk patients who require emergency care, but not a higher level care with an ambulance, use a ride sharing app to get them there safely, at a fraction of the cost to them or their insurer.” The benefit of stable, low risk patients choosing Uber to transport them to the ER is that is gives patients who really need an ambulance a way quicker wait time than and they then will receive the lifesaving care faster. “Given that even a reduction of a few minutes can drastically improve survival rates for serious conditions, this could be associated with substantial welfare improvement,” the authors write.
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