Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Pilots VHA-Uber Health Connect for Veteran Transportation
VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) is piloting a new Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-Uber Health Connect program, offering supplemental transportation options for Veterans getting to and from medical care.
TVHS is one of 10 VA hospitals providing eligible Veterans with transportation through Uber Health ride sharing alongside bus, train, taxi, and airplane transportation.
“Transportation remains one of the largest barriers for Veterans to access quality health care,” said Dr. Indra Sandal, program lead. “By offering ride sharing as an additional means of transportation, VA will reduce missed appointments, improve the Veteran experience and achieve cost savings to VA medical centers.”
Since its launch in February 2022, VHA-Uber Health Connect has offered more than 3,400 Uber rides to more than 1,070 eligible Veterans. These rides are estimated to have saved VA more than $4 million dollars so far, in addition to faster emergency department and inpatient discharges and fewer appointment cancellations.
“We are excited to be a part of this innovative pilot,” said TVHS Executive Director Dan Dücker. “This program advances our ability to offer more accessible, equitable health care to our local Veteran community.”
Veterans or transportation teams interested in learning more about the program may contact TVHS at VHBusinessOfficeSpecialModeRequests@va.gov.
TVHS is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York campus in Murfreesboro and the Nashville campus, as well as 19 community-based outpatient clinics located in Tennessee and Kentucky. TVHS provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, transplant services, spinal cord injury outpatient care, and a full range of extended care and mental health services.
