Nonprofit healthcare firm SCAN Group announced a strategic investment in non-emergency transportation firm SafeRide Health.
“SCAN is proud to support SafeRide’s growth as it seeks to fulfill older adults’ need for safe,
reliable transportation to and from medical appointments,” Sachin Jain,M.D., president and
CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan said in a statement. “SafeRide’s commitment to eliminating transportation barriers aligns with SCAN’s mission to keep seniors healthy and independent.”
SafeRide uses proprietary technology to connect patients to an integrated network of non-emergency medical transport providers, including Uber and Lyft. The company’s platform identifies people with higher acuity and unique needs to deliver them to their destinations, while providing real-time reporting, live-ride triage/monitoring and aggregated customized program insights.
Wendy Zhao, senior director of Corporate Development for SCAN Group, said the investment in SafeRide will help the company transform the way older adults need to be cared for in the U.S.
“Reports show that 15% of Medicare beneficiaries put off appointments due to transportation insecurity,” Zhao explained. “With this investment, we aim to reduce transportation barriers and get seniors to their appointments safely and reliably.”
SafeRide is the fifth investment SCAN Group has made in the past few years. Those investments include healthcare logistics and services platform MedArrive and in-home kidney care solutions firm Monogram Health.
An increasing number of Medicare Advantage plans are offering supplemental benefits that address social determinants of health, including transportation, home care and meals. Non-medical transportation is among the top five supplemental benefits offered by MA plans this year, according to ATI Advisory.
