Albertsons launches fast prescription drug delivery

Albertsons Cos. has introduced one- to two-hour prescription drug delivery in selected markets in Texas, California, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.

Working with medication delivery specialist ScriptDrop, Albertsons said Thursday that the new service is now available at Albertsons and Tom Thumb pharmacies in Dallas-Fort Worth; Randalls pharmacies in Austin and Houston; Safeway pharmacies in San Jose, Calif., and Washington, D.C.; and Albertsons pharmacies in Louisiana.

Pharmacy patients also can add over-the-counter medicines to their prescription delivery orders, Albertsons said. The Boise, Idaho-based food and drug retailer noted that the ScriptDrop fast-delivery service supplements same-day, next-day and mail delivery already offered at most of Albertsons Cos.’ 1,733 pharmacy locations.

Plans call for Albertsons to roll out one- to two-hour prescription delivery service to more markets during 2020.

“It is our mission to take care of our patients and help them achieve their health and wellness goals. If they can’t make it to the pharmacy, then we want to take the pharmacy to them,” Mark Panzer, senior vice president of pharmacy, health and wellness at Albertsons Cos., said in a statement. “These delivery services eliminate barriers to medication adherence, first and foremost. They also make our patients’ lives easier because our pharmacy services are more accessible and convenient.”

Related:Albertsons Cos. brings health care to the shopper

Columbus, Ohio-based ScriptDrop provides on-demand delivery by connecting pharmacies to a network of couriers. The company said its medication delivery platform seamlessly links to retailers’ existing pharmacy workflow system.

Prescriptions delivered by ScriptDrop come in tamper-proof, privacy packaging. (Photo courtesy of ScriptDrop)

To use the service, Albertsons Cos. patients call the pharmacy location where their prescription was processed to request and schedule a delivery. They also can use their local store’s pharmacy app, if available, to arrange a delivery once they get the confirmation text that their script is ready. Delivery fees vary by market.

Next, the pharmacy puts the medication in tamper-proof packaging and notifies ScriptDrop for the delivery. ScriptDrop said it works with specially trained, HIPAA-compliant drivers to deliver prescriptions while protecting patient information. The drivers use a special app that tracks their progress and sends patients text updates of their prescription delivery. Patients must sign for prescriptions upon delivery.

“Albertsons Cos. was an early-adopter of our vision of the future of pharmacy and utilizing technology to improve the patient experience. The entire ScriptDrop team is elated at the opportunity to grow our partnership alongside Albertsons Cos.’ innovative team," commented Nick Potts, founder and CEO of ScriptDrop. "ScriptDrop’s technology and infrastructure allows the pharmacies to follow through with their initiatives to improve medication access for patients, which resonates with the mission of Albertsons Cos. pharmacies."

Related:Albertsons spearheads expanded pharmacy services

The new ScriptDrop service is one a several health care initiatives at Albertsons Cos. pharmacies announced this month.

This week, medication therapy platform provider AssistRx said its iAssist solution is now being used by Albertsons Companies Specialty Care to give patients and health providers faster access to specialty pharmacy services support. Providers using iAssist can submit enrollments to Albertsons Companies Specialty Care, complete prior authorization requests and enroll patients in access support programs all in one workflow, helping to support the thousands of specialty prescriptions Albertsons manages each week.

“By integrating AssistRx’s technology into our pharmacies, we can better serve our patients and with increased speed to therapy, quick access to support programs, easy visibility into patient status and better coordination of care,” according to Brian Hille, vice president of specialty and wellness services for Albertsons Cos.

Also this week, mental health care company Genomind expanded its Genomind Professional PGx Express genetic testing service to all Acme Markets pharmacies in Pennsylvania and selected Albertsons pharmacies in Idaho. The solution identifies patient-specific genetic markers that can better inform mental health medication treatment decisions. Genomind and Albertsons unveiled their partnership in May 2018, which brought the service to 28 pharmacies across the country. The broader partnership now includes 59 locations nationwide.

“After a successful rollout of our partnership last year, we are very pleased to offer Genomind’s services to more of our patients,” stated Janis Levit, director of pharmacy at Acme. “By expanding this service to additional pharmacies, we’re aiming to help more patients and their providers better manage their medications and live happier, healthier lives.”

And earlier in December, biopharmaceutical firm Dynavax Technologies said its HEPLISAV-B hepatitis B vaccine became available Albertsons Cos. pharmacies nationwide. Through this partnership, patients will have access to HEPLISAV-B, which Dynavax said is only FDA-approved, two-dose hepatitis B immunization for adults that’s completed in one month. The companies noted that the vaccination program will have a special focus on diabetes patients.

“Immunizations are an important part of preventative care and are crucial to preventing the spread of serious illness like hepatitis B,” Albertsons’ Hille explained. “Because diabetic patients are two times more likely to become infected with the hepatitis B virus and up to four times as likely to get HBV-related liver cancer, it makes sense to increase access to the HEPLISAV-B vaccine for these patients at our pharmacies, which are low-barrier, easy-access health and wellness centers in our communities.”