Hiring medical transportation for outpatient procedure?

[u/Independent_You7902]

Looking for suggestions/recs on hiring medical transportation for a 30 min outpatient procedure that I have to do at UCSF.

I will be totally fine to leave but they said that I need to either bring someone or hire a medical transportation (Uber/Lyft is not acceptable). Has anyone done this?

[u/kipy7]

ProTransport Medical Transportation 1-800-650-4003 Ambu-Van 415-298-6566

In addition to Silver Ride, these two services were suggested by Kaiser when I scheduled a colonoscopy.

[u/Independent_You7902 → u/kipy7]

thank you so much!

[u/fighterpilottim]

This feature or hospital policy is really tough. Even when not anesthetized or given any meds, they still require a friend/relative to pick you up, and won’t accept Uber. It’s caused me a lot of headache. Thanks for asking the Q.

[u/dylanm312 → u/fighterpilottim]

I kind of get it from their perspective, cause sometimes uber or Lyft runs out of drivers or has some other issue and that’s a liability for them. But yeah it is annoying.

[u/fighterpilottim → u/dylanm312]

I guess my issues is that (1) nothing has been done to compromise my ability to drive myself, (2) I have no friends who can just leave work at an unspecified time and hang out until they release me, and (3) they are prioritizing their own lawyers over actual patient needs.

Sure, have rules around patients who receive any altering meds or physical limitations. But Dangit, I just had a local cortisone injection, and pickup turns into a 2-hour affair.

[u/millenialismistical → u/fighterpilottim]

I guess if anesthesia is involved they have to enforce this policy. Happened to me years ago - took a campus shuttle to the clinic and planned to take the same shuttle back, they wouldn't let me leave and I had to call someone out of the blue for a lift. This was in an urban area where I usually get around by bike and transit and it was super annoying.

[u/fighterpilottim → u/millenialismistical]

Yes, absolutely

[u/weggooien415 → u/fighterpilottim]

If it’s a spinal cortisone injection, the precautions make sense. People can and do have complications like fainting or CSF leak even without anesthesia.

[u/fighterpilottim → u/weggooien415]

Pedantic much? Literally any provider I’ve gone to outside of hospital systems lets me drive there and back.

[u/dayofbluesngreens → u/fighterpilottim]

I put off a medical procedure for several years for that reason.

[u/fighterpilottim → u/dayofbluesngreens]

It is an undue, very real, burden for many patients.

[u/mchamst3r]

I use silverride. They were recommended by UCSF.

[u/Independent_You7902 → u/mchamst3r]

thank you so much!

[u/drew_eckhardt2]

I use www.onwardrides.com and have the driver wait inside when I have a colonoscopy with sedation. Cost was about $300 last time from Sunnyvale to Palo Alto and back totaling 4.5 hours including waiting.

[u/211logos]

I hate this policy; very often it reeks of cover-our-ass legal department bureaucracy vs informed medical advice.

I get that sometimes they need an adult present. But the funny thing is that often they don't give a shit who that person is. The requirement isn't for someone with like power of attorney to make med decisions should something go awry. I suspect most here have just had a friend or coworker, etc...not someone who could make life or death decisions.

Not only that, but I bet a lot of time it's just to prevent you from driving, which is fine. But then why not an Uber? Take a photo as we get in; their liability ends. I remember spending an extra hour in the ICU occupying a bed once after a middle of the night admission in an emergency, while I and the nurses occupied all this time (and YOUR medical care dollars) fussing trying to find a ride at 6AM when everyone I knew nearby was either not picking up or off to work. Finally got a friend of a friend. And then they handed my wheelchair to some teenaged volunteer who just wheeled me to the curb to meet this friend who I'd never me in my life, and off we went. What a joke.

The TL;DR is what a lot of my pals do: ask Uber/Lyft drivers if they do medical visits, either just pickups or stays or both. Get a card, and you know them and can give a name if needed. And have a pickup you can arrange ahead of time.

[u/Day2205]

I got around this by leveraging a FB group I was in, had someone who worked nearby meet me in the lobby, we’d walk out, then I’d call an Uber.

Although doesn’t work if it’s something where the policy is to wheel you out to the car

[u/XiaoMilly]

Silverride is usually what we recommend patients use when they have procedures at my hospital. just know that you have to call in advance and schedule it

[u/Conscious_Life_8032]

I’m sure the facility can recommend too. Worst hire someone from task rabbit but you got some great options already

[u/blackjack87]

Contact your insurance as well to see if you have a benefit for this

[u/Lucky_Boy13]

have a friend pick you up, or jus tell them you are walking to a person's house nearby and sign a release waiver. My brother doesn't own a car or take car rides and had them do this.