Key Takeaways
- Amazon is launching vending machines stocked with medications at its One Medical clinics.
- Each machine contains hundreds of common prescriptions, like antibiotics and blood pressure medications.
- Amazon is rolling out the pharmacy kiosks starting in December to five locations, with plans to expand to other offices “soon after.”
Amazon is working towards a future where patients can obtain their prescriptions immediately after seeing a doctor, thanks to vending-machine-like kiosks stocked with medications located within a doctor’s office.
Amazon announced on Wednesday in a press release that it’s launching prescription drug kiosks at One Medical primary care clinics in Los Angeles. Amazon Pharmacy runs the machines, each of which contains hundreds of common prescriptions like antibiotics, blood pressure medications, and inhalers. The in-office kiosks enable patients to obtain their medications immediately after a doctor’s appointment without an extra trip to the pharmacy.
“We know that when patients have to make an extra trip to the pharmacy after seeing their doctor, many prescriptions never get filled,” Amazon Pharmacy’s Vice President of Operations Hannah McClellan said in the press release. “By bringing the pharmacy directly to the point of care, we’re removing a critical barrier.”
Related: Walgreens Says Using Robots to Fill Prescriptions Helped It Save $500 Million. Here’s How.
Nearly one-third of prescriptions in the U.S. are never filled every year, according to researchers affiliated with the independent scientific research institute RTI International. Nearly half (40% to 50%) of patients with chronic conditions don’t take their medications as prescribed, per University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine Assistant Clinical Professor Fred Kleinsinger.
Furthermore, in the U.S., one in four neighborhoods is considered a pharmacy desert, meaning that there aren’t convenient pharmacies nearby to meet demand, says the McKesson Foundation, a healthcare equity organization.
To use the new kiosks, a patient’s provider sends a prescription to Amazon Pharmacy. Then, an Amazon pharmacist verifies the order and sends the user a QR code to scan at the kiosk to redeem it. Patients can also speak with a remote pharmacist at the kiosk through a video or phone call.
Amazon notes that only in-person patients at One Medical are eligible to use the kiosks; telehealth patients cannot use the service.
Related: How Mark Cuban Forced the Biggest U.S. Pharmacy to Upend Its Business
Amazon is rolling out pharmacy kiosks starting in December to patients at One Medical offices in Downtown L.A., West L.A., Beverly Hills, Long Beach, and West Hollywood. The retail giant plans to expand to other One Medical offices “soon after.”
The move arises as traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacies increasingly close their doors. Rite Aid closed all of its locations last week after 63 years in business, while Walgreens announced plans to close 1,200 stores in May. The same month, CVS said it would shutter 270 locations this year after closing 900 stores between 2022 and 2024.
Amazon made a major move into healthcare when it bought One Medical in 2022 for $3.9 billion, one of its largest acquisitions to date. The company also picked up PillPack, an online pharmacy, for $750 million in 2018 before launching Amazon Pharmacy in 2020, which delivers medications.
Meanwhile, although medicine vending machines aren’t an entirely new concept, they seem to be trending. Last week, Advocate Health announced that it had installed its own machines at the two locations on Chicago’s South Side. The medications within these machines treat immediate needs, including flu, infections, gastrointestinal issues, and chronic issues, such as heart disease and asthma. Other prescription vending machines have popped up in South Florida, Minnesota, and Maryland over the past five years.
Amazon is currently having a Prime Day sale exclusively for Prime members who pay $15 per month for individual memberships. Prime has more than 200 million members, according to Statista.
Related: CVS Plans to Open 12 Mini-Stores Centered on Pharmacy, Healthcare
Key Takeaways
- Amazon is launching vending machines stocked with medications at its One Medical clinics.
- Each machine contains hundreds of common prescriptions, like antibiotics and blood pressure medications.
- Amazon is rolling out the pharmacy kiosks starting in December to five locations, with plans to expand to other offices “soon after.”
Amazon is working towards a future where patients can obtain their prescriptions immediately after seeing a doctor, thanks to vending-machine-like kiosks stocked with medications located within a doctor’s office.
Amazon announced on Wednesday in a press release that it’s launching prescription drug kiosks at One Medical primary care clinics in Los Angeles. Amazon Pharmacy runs the machines, each of which contains hundreds of common prescriptions like antibiotics, blood pressure medications, and inhalers. The in-office kiosks enable patients to obtain their medications immediately after a doctor’s appointment without an extra trip to the pharmacy.
“We know that when patients have to make an extra trip to the pharmacy after seeing their doctor, many prescriptions never get filled,” Amazon Pharmacy’s Vice President of Operations Hannah McClellan said in the press release. “By bringing the pharmacy directly to the point of care, we’re removing a critical barrier.”
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