Prescription home delivery service options increase

The advent of online shopping and the proliferation of mobile apps across a wide range of businesses has led consumers across the country to expect companies that provide them with goods and services to deliver products to their door.

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While Amazon has set the standard for this new way of shopping — offering same-day delivery of thousands of items in some markets for Amazon Prime members — a handful of smaller companies are beginning to explore ways to deliver prescriptions.



Major pharmacy chains like Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS/pharmacy and a host of others have offered home delivery in some markets for several years, and independents across the country tout such services as one of the factors that set them apart from their competitors. However, the most recent entries in the prescription delivery business have upped the ante, promising patients quicker service that fits their schedule.



In New York City, for example, Zipdrug, a startup that debuted in July, is offering on-demand prescription delivery from any pharmacy in Manhattan and expects to widen its reach in the New York area by the end of the year, as well as start exploring other markets in 2016. The company uses HIPAA-trained, background-checked and drug-screened messengers to ensure patients’ privacy and safety.



Zipdrug founder Stuart Libby told Drug Store News earlier this year that his service takes the guess work out of prescription delivery, bolstering retailers’ reputations and driving patient adherence.



“Instead of sending out a messenger where you don’t know what time the medications will arrive — if they did arrive — and there’s a paper confirmation from the patient, we digitize all of that and make it really easy, accountable and transparent, which ultimately will lower costs and help increase adherence for pharmacies,” he said. “Waiting for your prescription medication shouldn’t be like waiting for your cable installation. It should have a precise time that you know it comes.”



Meanwhile, in San Francisco, two companies — ScriptDash and TinyRx — offer slightly different forms of prescription delivery.



ScriptDash bills itself as an actual pharmacy that provides free on-demand delivery to a home or office within two hours of receiving the patient’s prescription. TinyRx is more of a traditional delivery service, partnering with independent pharmacies to bring medications to patients’ doors. The company said it uses a prescription coupon index to ensure that patients pay the lowest price for their medicines.



“Even with insurance, we often save customers hundreds of dollars per year,” TinyRx said on its website.



As the demand for home delivery increases, systems and software suppliers have begun exploring ways to help community pharmacies incorporate these services into their everyday offerings.



Earlier this year, for example, QS/1 released QS/1 Delivery-Rx, an Apple iPad application for prescription medication delivery that does not require an Internet connection or cellular signal.



Market analyst Justin Buckland said the app — designed to work with the company’s NRx Pharmacy Management System and Point-of-Sale software — lets pharmacies download transactions, capture signatures, accept payments and allow deliveries from multiple stores.



“Customer service is the backbone of independent pharmacies,” he said when the app was rolled out in October. “This new app allows pharmacies to show their commitment to top-notch customer service and place themselves ahead of the competition.”



While it was originally developed for retail pharmacies, Buckland said QS/1 is looking at modifying QS/1 DeliveryRx so it can be used in long-term care pharmacies, as well.



Solutions like this, he said, are the first steps in what many see as the next wave of innovation in pharmacy technology, as retailers look to keep up with customer demands for new options and a more comprehensive pharmacy offering.



“I expect it to be a huge resource for local pharmacies as it makes it much easier to manage the delivery process,” Buckland said. “I expect some pharmacies to take advantage of it as part of their customer service.”