@article{ref1,
title="Rethinking rideshares: a transportation assistance pilot for pediatric patients with sickle cell disease",
journal="Journal of health care for the poor and underserved",
year="2020",
author="Sobota, Amy and Williams, Amelle and Thomson, Lindsay and Vais, Simone",
volume="31",
number="3",
pages="1457-1470",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: Transportation barriers can limit health care access. This is particularly problematic for patients with chronic medical conditions such as sickle  cell disease (SCD) who require frequent medical visits. This study assesses the  efficacy of health care-directed rideshare services for overcoming these barriers at  an urban pediatric specialty clinic. <br><br>METHODS: A pilot study was conducted at Boston  Medical Center's Pediatric Hematology Clinic from January to April 2019. Patients  whose caregivers reported transportation difficulties were offered rides. Primary  outcomes were no-show rates and cost. Secondary outcomes included timeliness and  patient experience. <br><br>RESULTS: Implementation of rideshare services led to an 8.5%  decrease in the no-show rate among patients with SCD. The intervention cost $2,175  over three months and generated $40,262 in charges. No adverse experiences were  reported. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: In an urban, underserved pediatric hematology clinic, the use  of rideshare services is a feasible and relatively low-cost strategy for improving  health care access.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1049-2089",
doi="10.1353/hpu.2020.0105",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2020.0105"
}