5 Prescription Pill Services for Your Patients
Online shopping and delivery services have transformed the way we buy goods and services. From furniture and groceries to live ladybugs and wigs for dogs, consumers can buy nearly anything their hearts desire and have it conveniently delivered right to their doorstep later that day. In similar fashion and with the evolve of telemedicine, now consumers can skip the lines at the pharmacy and have their prescription medications delivered to their homes too. This is certainly welcome news for providers who have trouble getting certain patients to adhere to taking the medications they’re prescribing them.
Here are five home delivery pharmacy services to recommend to your patients.
A full-service online pharmacy owned by Amazon, PillPack sorts medications into single-dose packages and delivers them directly to the patient’s door each month. In addition to managing prescription medications for patients, PillPack will also fill vitamins, OTCs and common pharmacy items such as inhalers and insulin. To get started, patients only need to provide their insurance information and a list of their current medications; PillPack will handle the rest, working with the patient’s insurance company and communicating with their providers, just a traditional pharmacy would. Patients are only required to pay their monthly copay for the medications and the cost of vitamins and OTCs; shipping is always free and there are no hidden fees.
PillPack is a one-of-a-kind service without anything else like it on the market; while Good Value Rx does offer individually packaged doses that are available for home delivery as well, the service is only available to patients in the state of Wisconsin, whereas PillPack is available nationwide and does not have restrictions on who can subscribe.
One of the largest pharmacies in the country, Express Scripts is a prescription benefit plan provider that not only offers home delivery, but provides members and their families with affordable options for their medications, quickly and conveniently. In order for patients to become a member and be eligible for home delivery, they must have Express Scripts prescription benefits through their employer, health plan or directly via Medicare Part D.
Walgreens’ version of a home delivery pharmacy, AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, offers options that fit the individual needs of every patient; from free standard shipping, two-day and overnight shipping. Unfortunately, certain healthcare plans do not participate in this service, so patients should check their eligibility with their health plan. If eligible, patients may be able to receive up to a 90-day supply of medications with automatic prescription refills to be sent right to their front door.
Blink Health is a great option for patients who are either on medicaid, are uninsured or have trouble affording their prescriptions under their current drug coverage plan as it delivers the same exact FDA- approved medications at lower prices through its partnerships with pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Providers can either write e-prescriptions for patients directly to Blink Health or patients may opt to have their existing prescriptions transferred over.
Blink Health has no membership fees and shipping is always free. Although anyone can use Blink Health for their pharmaceutical needs, patients are encouraged to check the prices of their medications with their health plan first to see which option provides the drug at the lowest price, as in some cases, Blink Health is not always the more affordable choice for the patient.
NowRx provides the same services as local drugstores but hand-delivers prescription medications to patients with its own friendly drivers. To use the service for new or refill prescriptions, all patients have to do is download the app and follow four easy steps. First, the patient’s provider writes their prescription directly to NowRx or patients can transfer existing refills to the service; NowRx will then confirm the patient’s copay with their insurance provider and charge their card automatically. Patients will then consult with a pharmacist via video chat about their prescription and then the medication is delivered in as quickly as an hour and no later than one day to the patient’s home. The NowRx app also provides patients with reminders to take their medications and process refills.
Many health insurance companies such as Cigna and Aetna also offer home delivery options to its members who take medications on a recurring basis for the treatment of certain conditions like asthma, cholesterol and diabetes.