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Rising number of people using Uber for hospital trips
By Natalie O'Neill
December 15, 2017 | 4:24pm

Hey Uber, let’s go to the ER!

Ambulance use has plunged at least 7 percent nationally since the ride-sharing app hit the market, according to a new study.

Researchers compared the number of ambulance rides taken before Uber launched to after it became available in 766 cities in 43 states — and found people are opting for the cheaper mode of transportation, according to the report by University of Kansas researchers.

In Bergen and Camden counties in New Jersey, ambulance use dropped roughly 7 percent, keeping in line with the national average, said the study’s co-author, David Slusky, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Kansas.

“Uber has created a lower-cost substitute that might be equally effective in less serious heath situations,” said Slusky. “It has had a great impact in suburban areas.”

New York City wasn’t included in the study because the research methodology might have exposed ambulance companies there that participated, said Slusky, who co-authored the report with Dr. Leon Moskatel, an internist at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. The businesses had been promised anonymity.

The number of people riding in ambulances will likely drop even more — by up to 15 percent nationally in coming years, Slusky predicted.

Uber distanced itself from the report, which was released Wednesday.

“We’re grateful our service has helped people get to where they’re going when they need it the most,” company spokesman Andrew Hasbun told the Mercury News. “However, it’s important to note that Uber is not a substitute for law enforcement or medical professionals.”

But Moskatel said people are generally skilled at sizing up whether they actually need an ambulance, which can cost thousands of dollars.

“[Patients] tend to be pretty good at assessing their state and how quickly they need to come in and how sick they are,” he told the paper.

Data from the study, which includes Philly and Boston, was take between 2013 and 2015.

“If we want to reduce [health care] spending, we have to find ways to do things cheaper — and that’s in all kinds of situations where you don’t need the most expensive resource,” Slusky said. “We don’t all need to fly first-class all the time.”

https://nypost.com/2017/12/15/rising-number-of-people-using-uber-for-hospital-trips/