Amazon is erasing the space between the physician’s workplace and the pharmacy with the introduction of latest Amazon Pharmacy kiosks that may shortly dispense medicines to sufferers after a medical appointment.
The kiosks will initially be positioned inside places of work for One Medical, Amazon’s major healthcare firm, in areas throughout the higher Los Angeles space beginning in December. Enlargement to further One Medical places of work and different areas is anticipated quickly after.
The aim of the freestanding kiosks is to facilitate simpler filling of prescriptions, eliminating the necessity for an additional journey or ready in line at a traditional pharmacy.
In accordance with Amazon, the kiosks will probably be stocked with a variety of generally prescribed medicines, together with antibiotics, inhalers, and blood stress medicines. Managed substances and medicines requiring refrigeration usually are not obtainable. The stock is tailor-made to the prescribing patterns of every workplace location.
After a supplier writes a prescription, sufferers can select to have it despatched to Amazon Pharmacy for in-office kiosk pickup. Within the Amazon app, sufferers get a QR code to scan on the kiosk to choose up their medicine, which is delivered inside minutes with a {custom} label printed on the spot.
The initiative isn’t with out human intervention — cameras contained in the kiosks permit an Amazon pharmacist to get a stay view and overview medicines earlier than they’re allotted, and people pharmacists may also reply any affected person questions by way of a video or telephone session.
Giving prospects a pickup level is a departure for Amazon Pharmacy, which works by way of dwelling supply of medicines. Hannah McClellan, vice chairman of operations for Amazon Pharmacy, informed GeekWire that Amazon is ready to scale the kiosks past the L.A. rollout.
“We do have many extra kiosks able to go,” McClellan stated. “I see One Medical as a launch pad for the kiosk, however I believe they’ve runway far past One Medical, and admittedly, far past major care places of work. There’s so many ways in which they will drastically enhance the pharmacy pickup expertise at present.”
The Seattle space has eight One Medical areas, and McClellan stated Amazon’s hometown could possibly be “excessive on the listing” for the place kiosks are positioned.
The tamper-resistant kiosks weigh roughly 1,700 kilos and are secured to the ground, with further security measures together with vibration sensors and surveillance cameras to discourage break-ins. Amazon says affected person info is protected in accordance with HIPAA rules and your entire system has undergone rigorous testing and regulatory overview.
There isn’t a further charge to make use of a kiosk for Prime and non-Prime members. Sufferers pay just for their prescription medicines, and insurance coverage is accepted simply as with conventional pharmacy choices.
Amazon’s final hope is that comfort cuts again on the nearly one-third of prescriptions in the U.S. that are never filled annually, main to raised well being outcomes and billions in preventable healthcare prices.
“This isn’t a watered-down model of a pharmacy,” McClellan stated. “We now have minimize zero corners. Each single factor that’s obtainable to you at a retail pharmacy pickup is obtainable to you right here. We actually have simply introduced the pharmacy expertise to your supplier workplace, and made it extremely quick and clear.”
Amazon launched the Amazon Pharmacy service in November 2020, following its $753 million acquisition of prescription-by-mail firm PillPack in 2018. The corporate announced its $3.9 billion acquisition of One Medical in July 2022 and closed the deal in February 2023. In February 2024, Amazon cut hundreds of jobs from each well being care models.
