Healthcare leaders should take note of this new partnership between Lyft and Blue Cross.

As a consumer, I like what Blue Cross is doing. While Blue Cross presents this as a way to improve access and reduce missed appointments, the next logical step is to quite literally steer patients to lowest cost providers.

There have been numerous studies that show the primary criteria patients use to choose their doctor and hospital is convenient location. Healthgrades summarized that finding in an infographic.

Perhaps the only thing more convenient than driving to the doctor’s office down the block is having a car waiting for you at your front door. The average cost of a Lyft ride is $12.53. It is a no-brainer for an insurer to pay $25 to steer a patient to a provider with a more favorable contract. Especially for expensive services such as chemotherapy or a Remicade infusion, both of which can run between $5,000 and $25,000 per visit.