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Lyft has already made moves into the non-emergency medical transportation space. But through a new partnership with an Estonian health IT startup, it’s adding blockchain to the equation.
The rideshare company has joined forces with Solve.Care, which offers a blockchain platform for healthcare coordination, administration and payments.
The startup has integrated with Lyft to deliver a solution that will let Solve.Care wallet users have better access to healthcare-related transportation. Individuals using Solve.Care’s Care.Wallet can schedule Lyft rides to medical appointments and pharmacies. Then they can pay for the ride using their Care.Wallet, and they have the option to share costs with family members, insurers and employers.
“By partnering with Lyft, our platform will provide a more efficient and seamless experience for patients and enable payers, employers and other agencies to improve patient satisfaction through timely access to care, reduced wait times and simpler cost-sharing and access to transportation subsidies,” Solve.Care CEO Pradeep Goel said in a statement.
The Estonia-based company’s solutions include Care.Wallet, which enables interactions between stakeholders to streamline payments and improve access; Care.Cards, or personalized apps in the Care.Wallet that let users link, sync and share across wallets; and Care.Coin, a payment currency.
As for Lyft, it recently expanded its collaborations with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Humana (through its alliance with LogistiCare) to assist Medicare Advantage plan members. Last fall, the San Francisco company recruited its first vice president of healthcare: Megan Callahan, who most recently served as chief strategy officer of Change Healthcare. In her role, she works on developing technology to better collaborate with Lyft’s healthcare partners.
Blockchain has also been applied to other issues across the healthcare environment. For instance, at HIMSS, the Canadian divisions of drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim and IBM revealed their plans to collaborate and explore blockchain in clinical trials in Canada.
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