Uber enters medicine but disrupting health care may prove difficult

The popular ride-sharing service Uber introduced a program to provide transportation to and from medical appointments, but the complexities of health care could make it a more difficult sector to disrupt than other industries.

Uber Health, so far available only in the United States, allows doctors and hospitals to book rides for patients to attend medical appointments. It has been tested by more than 100 US health facilities, some of which pay for the service to avoid the downstream costs of missed health appointments, particularly in primary care.