Abstract：
From 2020 to 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) conducted a national pilot of a rideshare program to support homeless patients\' transportation needs to obtain critical resources and attend medical appointments. This study linked Lyft rideshare data in 2022 to VA administrative data to examine characteristics and changes in service use among VA homeless service users. The results showed that VA homeless service users who used the VA Rideshare program were more likely to have psychiatric diagnoses and urgent care visits than those who did not use the program. When we controlled for past VA service use, use of the VA Rideshare program was associated with greater use of VA outpatient and inpatient services and fewer no-show medical appointments six months after the veterans\' index date. VA Rideshare users had three to eight more program visits over the course of six months than non-Rideshare users. These findings indicate benefits associated with providing transportation assistance to vulnerable patients in a nationwide health system.
摘要：
从2020年到2023年，退伍军人事务部（VA）进行了一项乘车共享计划的全国试点，以支持无家可归患者的交通需求，以获得关键资源并参加医疗预约。这项研究将2022年的Lyft乘车共享数据与VA管理数据相关联，以检查VA无家可归服务用户的服务使用特征和变化。结果表明，使用VARideshare计划的VA无家可归者服务用户比不使用该计划的用户更有可能进行精神病诊断和紧急护理访问。当我们控制过去的VA服务使用时，使用VARideshare计划与更多地使用VA门诊和住院服务以及在退伍军人指数日期后6个月内更少的未就诊预约相关.VARideshare用户在六个月的时间内比非Rideshare用户多访问了三到八个程序。这些发现表明，在全国卫生系统中为弱势患者提供运输援助会带来好处。
