PROgram for Non-emergency TranspOrtation (PRONTO)

By Katherine Susman | Categories: | Comments Off on PROgram for Non-emergency TranspOrtation (PRONTO)

External: Kaizen Health

PRONTO, a partnership with local health-access startup Kaizen Health, utilizes ride-hailing service Lyft to provide free rides to patients being transitioned home from medical surgical and critical care units. Inadequate transportation can be a significant barrier to accessing healthcare — and can contribute to slow bed turnover and lower patient satisfaction.

With PRONTO — which stands for PROgram for Non-emergency TranspOrtation — UI Health social workers can assess a patient’s transportation needs and, if necessary, arrange for transition home in a Lyft car. The service is available for all adult patients living in Chicago who are ambulatory and expected to depart by 5 pm, Monday through Friday. The hospital pays for the cost of the program, which averages $20/ride.

PRONTO utilizes the Kaizen Health platform to schedule Lyft rides for patients. The interdisciplinary team that launched the program included representation from Nursing, Social Work, Patient Care Services, Materials Management–Logistics, Information Services, Emergency Department, Population Health Sciences, and Health Policy & Strategy.

Following a successful 4 month launch, PRONTO became a permanent service in May 2017. The program continues to have high patient and staff satisfaction and has been an important part of improving hospital throughput.