“We’re creating a future for our patients where getting a prescription filled is as simple as pressing a button.” That’s Roxanne Gapstur, President and CEO of WellSpan Health in Pennsylvania, quoted in this article about using drones to deliver prescriptions.
Sounds impossible? Too futuristic?
It’s already here. In February, WellSpan partnered with Zipline, an autonomous delivery service, “to expedite the transportation of prescriptions directly to patients’ homes as well as streamline the movement of lab samples and medical products between facilities.”
The launch date is yet to be confirmed, but WellSpan says it will be “the first health system to introduce this technology and delivery system at scale in Pennsylvania.” Says Roxanne Gapstur, “We’re making our system lower cost, faster and more sustainable by bringing this exceptional technology to South Central Pennsylvania.”
There are other examples, too.
According to the article, the Cleveland Clinic is also exploring a partnership with Zipline, and hopes to deliver specialty medicines and other prescriptions to patients’ homes starting next year, as management explores “solutions that are cost-effective, reliable and reduce the burden of getting medications” to customers, according to a press release.
In Boston, Massachusetts General Brigham (MGB) healthcare system “is gearing up to implement its own drone delivery service in collaboration with Draganfly, a Canadian drone company. The initiative targets patients enrolled in MGB’s home hospital program, aiming to streamline the delivery of medical supplies while circumventing traffic-related delays common in urban settings.”
Then there’s Amazon Pharmacy, the pharmaceutical arm of Amazon, which has been offering drone delivery services for prescriptions in select areas of Texas since October, apparently being able to deliver the medications to the customers’ door within 60 minutes of ordering.
Of course, there are challenges: “Regulatory hurdles, airspace management and privacy concerns are among the factors that warrant consideration and mitigation strategies. Additionally, ensuring the safety and reliability of drone operations in complex urban environments remains a critical aspect of implementation.”
Given the huge advantages, though — particularly for older consumers who may increasingly have mobility issues — we believe this trend will be unstoppable. And we’ll certainly keep an eye on how the trial runs are going.