Hackensack University Medical Center (UMC) and innovative rideshare service, Uber, have formed a partnership to provide patients, staff, and visitors a dependable new way of getting to the New Jersey medical center.

Uber and the facility will each implement features into their apps for coordinating pick-ups and drop-offs. Uber’s app will include a feature allowing users to indicate the specific pick-up zone from which they are requesting a ride.

On Hackensack’s end, the app will feature a reminder for scheduled Uber rides, and pick-up/drop-off areas at the hospital will have signs designating where employees from the center will be available to help patients get into and out of the car. Uber will become the primary choice of transportation when discharging patients and the partnership will also assist in supporting the cost of those trips.

“Transportation is a major issue that comes up in terms of the overall patient experience,” said Robert C. Garrett, president and CEO of Hackensack University Health Network, in a statement. By teaming up with Uber the hospital hopes to diminish some of those issues.

Additionally, HackensackUMC will provide informational brochures throughout the campus, and staff members will be trained to help people request an Uber if they need one.

On-demand rides through the San Francisco-based car service will also improve hospital efficiency, as discharging patients who lack transportation is often a costly and time-intensive process, according to the announcement.

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