OrthoNOW, Uber Collaborate on Patient Care

Imagine if your doctor had a heads up on your injury before you pulled into the parking lot? That and more are now available thanks to OrthoNOW and Uber. This new version of their mobile app includes a feature called “On My Way NOW, ” that sends alerts about patient arrival at the nearest OrthoNOW location. The app, which is now integrated into the Uber app, is available free of charge in the iPhone App Store.

In the October 26, 2016 news release, co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Alejandro Badia, M.D. quotes Steve Jobs, saying “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology, not the other way around. We understand that injuries don’t happen by appointment and providing an outstanding patient experience begins before patients cross our threshold.”

Uber South Florida General Manager Kasra Moshkani said, “We are excited that OrthoNOW is utilizing Uber’s open API for such an innovative integration.”

The OrthoNOW mobile app allows patients to notify an OrthoNOW Center that they are in route, the reason they are going, and what time they expect to arrive. Additionally, the app locates the nearest OrthoNOW Center, provides contact interface to the Center, can connect to Facebook and Twitter accounts, and supplies information about conditions treated and a section of frequently asked questions…Patients are now able to send a custom injury alert to the orthopedic experts at a Center with pictures of the injury in advance of their arrival. Users of the mobile app can now create multiple patient profiles—a feature designed to help parents or coaches build a system for rapid decision making and notification at the time of injury, when seconds count.”

Dr. Badia told OTW, “Our decision to include Uber in our mobile app is fundamental to the mission of OrthoNOW. As technology evolves, so should the process of how, when and where healthcare is delivered. We can see no reason why injured patients should report to a packed emergency room where a majority of illness and accidents would neither fall into the realm of either specialty or priority for the vast amount of on-call overworked ER physicians. The Uberization of medicine allows for a patient or his caregiver to be aware of nearby appropriate, alternative locations for specific treatment. Further, technology such as ours allows for the transmission of an ‘on my way NOW’ message, relaying critical information such as a description and photo of injury and estimated time of arrival. These features allow the center staff to be prepared when the patient arrives saving time, money and increasing positive outcomes. Lastly, this eliminates the wasted resources for those patients who do not need an ambulance to get treatment but have no other transportation options.”

“Our 90-day goal is to create awareness about the OrthoNOW app and get it downloaded onto the phones of professionals including: coaches, trainers, employers, teachers, risk managers and human resource directors, whose day to day life includes a potentially high number of injury victims.”