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Hy-Vee forms telehealth, online pharmacy subsidiary

RedBox Rx offers treatment and prescription drugs without going through insurance

Russell Redman

December 14, 2021

3 Min Read
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RedBox Rx doesn’t accept health insurance but patients can use HSAs or FSAs to pay for telehealth visits or prescription drugs and other treatments.Hy-Vee

Midwestern food and drug chain Hy-Vee has launched RedBox Rx, a new subsidiary that provides low-cost telehealth and online pharmacy services nationwide.

Hy-Vee said Tuesday that, to keep prices low and “save patients the hassle,” RedBox Rx doesn’t accept health insurance but patients — who must be ages 18 and older — can use health savings accounts (HSAs) or flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to pay for telehealth visits or prescription drugs. Prescribed treatments are shipped free directly to patients’ homes throughout the United States.

RedBox Rx provides telemedicine services through a partnership with Austin, Texas-based Reliant Immune Diagnostics, which operates the MDbox e-health care platform Hy-Vee said the MDBox technology integrates with RedBox Rx.

Hy-Vee noted that RedBox Rx bypasses insurance as a way to provide fast, convenient and affordable care from health professionals who also can prescribe prescription medication.

“We pride ourselves on being experts in health and wellness, and it’s a major component of what we do every day, whether it be in our retail pharmacies or through our dietetic services,” Hy-Vee Chairman and CEO Randy Edeker said in a statement. “In today’s world, we know that more people are looking for quick, convenient and personalized health care options that can be shipped directly to their homes, and RedBox Rx does exactly that.”

Related:Hy-Vee to launch rapid PCR COVID-19 testing

Health care services and treatment plans available from RedBox Rx include men’s health, women’s health, hair and skin, mental health, migraine headaches and common illnesses and ailments, such as allergies, gastrointestinal issues, headaches (including migraine), sinus pressure and infection, nausea and vomiting, and pink eye.

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RedBox Rx doesn’t accept health insurance but patients can use HSAs or FSAs to pay for telehealth visits or prescription drugs and other treatments.

According to Hy-Vee, telehealth consultation fees from RedBox Rx range from free to $39, depending on the type of treatment, and often cost less than typical medical insurance co-payments. The company added that RedBox Rx is also offers a complementary/alternative health care option that businesses can share with their employees, at no cost to the employer.

“Our mission at Reliant Immune Diagnostics with our MDbox platform is to provide affordable health care any place, any time,” stated Henry Legere, founder and CEO of Reliant Immune Diagnostics. “We’re excited to partner with Hy-Vee to provide our nationwide network of 24/7/365 medical professionals and our technologies to support their vision for the future of health care.”

Health care is a pillar of Hy-Vee’s offering, and the company has steadily expanded its array of services. In August, the grocer unveiled Hy-Vee Medicare Aisle, an agency offering Medicare coverage plans. The company’s in-store and freestanding pharmacies already provide a full range of pharmacy care, immunization and wellness services. In addition, Hy-Vee has more than 70 in-store retail health clinics; owns and operates two specialty pharmacies, Amber Pharmacy and Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions; and in late 2020 launched its own pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), Vivid Clear Rx. And in July, Hy-Vee appointed Dr. Daniel Fick as chief medical officer, a newly created position.

Related:Hy-Vee specialty pharmacies to help provide COVID-19 antibody treatments

Overall, Hy-Vee generates annual sales of over $12 billion and operates more than 280 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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