Amazon Pharmacy’s Post

We know the world doesn't need another #Pharmacy, what it needs is a better pharmacy that can partner with patients and provide the care they need at the time they need it. By making the process of filling prescriptions as easy and convenient as other online transactions, while also offering affordable prices, #Amazon Pharmacy aims to bring Amazon's #customerobsession to an industry that can be inconvenient and confusing.  This represents a significant value proposition for customers looking for a more seamless and cost-effective way to access their medications. #ecommerce #ecommercebusiness

Not unexpected, but still a great day for consumer healthcare! Healthcare #access is at the top of the priority list for both rural population health and for those with difficulty getting to their pharmacy due to transportation or health barriers. This is really good news for consumers, and especially elderly or those without convenient access to a local pharmacy, or in what is called "healthcare access deserts." What began as mail-order prescriptions (still not evenly or effectively exercised by the largest pharmacy chains), and creatively handled by the acquisition of Pill-Pack (I am a customer)... -- TBH PillPack/Amazon still suffers from uneven cooperation from prescribers and strange rules and barriers from payers that seek to wall-in their customers to their own captive mail-order systems **--- ...is now moving into the real-time/ same-day fulfillment of meds. **More later about captive/vertical payer/pharmacy/PBM players. This will be a game-changer for several reasons: a) First and most obviously it creates better access for more consumers. Access is a key social determinant of health (SDOH) for many populations, both rural and suburban/urban. This raises the table stakes for all providers, as #ValueBasedCare will shift the market to a more #accountablecare kind of model, where outcomes matter, and providers won't want their members to defer or delay meds compliance for chronic or acute conditions and there will be financial as well as brand consequences. This means #medicare / #medicaid populations. And that's a lot of chronic condition meds! b) It will raise the table stakes in general, for the large physical pharmacy companies such as RiteAid, Walgreens/Boots, CVS/Caremark/Aetna, Wal-Mart, Costco, Supermarkets and others. The unit economics of in-store and physical pharmacies depend on cross-sale purchases by consumers as they visit their pharmacy. Absent physical visits, much of these unit economics disappear. The savior may be mini-clinics and in-store primary care, booths for virtual care/telemedicine, vaccine administration and more. But for now, the idea that a prescription can be written in-person or via telemedicine, and in the same day the meds appear on one's doorstep and/or then automatically via mail for chronic or long term management, is a huge win for consumers! And yes, Amazon may continue to eat the retail world by being able to cut-in, to offer the cross-sale opportunity that was previously available via the in-pharmacy visit. So to remain relevant, the physical pharmacies are going to have to match same-day delivery, and get better at mail-order automatic subscriptions, and provide more innovative and high-value reasons to visit their stores. Another win for consumers. What's next for #healthcareaccess? How about Prime Healthcare provider teams in vans to neighborhoods, places of business and by-appointment in-home. #access #sdoh #pharmacy #pbm #retail #agetech #healthequity #pharmacydeserts

Amazon Sets New Pace in #Pharmacy Delivery Amazon is stepping up its game in the health sector, now offering same-day prescription deliveries in New York City and Los Angeles. Leveraging its reputation as the ultimate expert in supply chain coordination, efficiency, and economies of scale, Amazon Pharmacy aims to redefine convenience. Initially rolled out in 2020, Amazon Pharmacy is now leveraging new, smaller facilities equipped to rapidly process prescriptions, aiming to provide fast and convenient service. This move is part of Amazon's broader strategy to deliver a wide range of products to customers' doorsteps with unparalleled speed. With plans to extend this service to over a dozen cities by year-end, Amazon's foray into same-day prescription deliveries underscores the evolving dynamics of the pharmacy landscape, where speed and convenience increasingly define the customer experience. As community pharmacies face the dual challenges of aggressive PBM contracting and the rise of mail-order services, Amazon's latest initiative highlights the ongoing shifts in how prescription medications are accessed and delivered, signaling potential impacts on pharmacy operations and patient choices. Swenson Pharmacy Advisors (SPA) #AmazonPharmacy #SameDayDelivery #PharmacyInnovation #HealthcareDelivery #SupplyChainExcellence #PharmacyTrends #AmazonHealth

Have you ever had a terrible experience at your local pharmacy? Sure you have, they were either closed or wait times were outrageous, all due to understaffing. Mail order pharmacy isn’t much better; delays getting necessary meds and you can’t “just talk” to someone when you need assistance or have questions. Independent pharmacy used to be a great answer to both of these, offering incredible service. Sadly, they are closing daily in this country. Why can’t they stay open? PBMs. The price protection and low negotiated rates they offer clients cut pharmacy margins so thin, if they make money on the claim at all. Therefore, chain pharmacists must fill overwhelming amounts of prescriptions and independents can only hope to keep the lights on. What’s crazier is the PBM fees for claim processing and price protection are not even a top 3 source of profit, yet have a devastating impact on pharmacies and pharmacists ability to provide great care to their communities.

Eli Lilly is partnering with Amazon's pharmacy unit to offer home delivery for Zepbound at a steep discount. As part of Eli Lilly’s program, patients whose Rx plans don’t cover Zepbound, can get it for $550/month through Eli Lilly Direct program with Amazon as the anchor pharmacy. This is actually cheaper than the PBM negotiated rates of $700-$900 per month (after rebates) and provides an opportunity for plan sponsors who are willing to consider creative approaches to get Zepbound at a better price. While I don’t use Zepbound, I have started using Amazon Pharmacy for my maintenance meds and have found the experience to be better compared to chain pharmacies. What are your thoughts on Eli Lilly’s partnership with Amazon? Full link in the 📌comment below. #employeebenefits #employeeexperience #humanresources

Medications' last-mile delivery to end-users and #patients remains behind other industries like consumer goods, groceries, and e-commerce in general. In healthcare, we just accept for so long that in order to receive one's #medications, it takes up to 2 weeks. Not anymore! If done right, Amazon Pharmacy can revolutionize how we access our medications, especially in pharmacy deserts, neighborhoods, and areas. Deploying Amazon's elite supply chain and efficiency can help millions access their medications faster and easier. However, some challenges include change management in #healthcare systems and convincing #physicians and #patients to start adopting this option. Like Dr. Vin Gupta, MD MPA said: "We have the challenge of convincing a provider that they should take 15 seconds out of their day, in a patient visit, to revisit the pharmacy on file in the #EHR to consider us." #HealthcareonLinkedin #Clinicalinformatics #Supplychain #changemanagement #logistics #HealthcareInnovation #Pharmacy #MedicationsDelivery Link: https://lnkd.in/g_UDeRWV

The below 2 examples are just an extreme case of way the PBMs are threatening patients to fill their prescriptions at a vertically integrated chain pharmacy. 1) XXXMEDICARE-D customer called today stating they use to fill their prescriptions at XXXHealth. They just transferred to a local independent non-chain pharmacy last month. In less than a month, customer gets letter in mail stating if they continue to fill their prescriptions at Non-XXXHealth pharmacy, their co-pay will go up. End Result: Customer called their local non-chain independent pharmacy and stated they will transfer all their prescriptions back to XXXHealth. Customer was very emotional. 2) Another example from last week. SILVERSCRIPTS MEDICARE-D member with inability to physically walk into the pharmacy transfers 4 Rx to local independent non-chain pharmacy since they deliver to her doorstep. All 4 maintenance meds for 90-day supply. Copay at independent pharmacy: $15 each x 4= $60 Total Customer insist their co-pay is $0 for all meds at XXXHealth. End Result: Local pharmacy transfers all 4 maintenance meds to XXXHealth and cross-check the copays. The co-pay is $0 --This is the state of mind currently with most of the seniors in need of critical services out in the community. --Medicare members should have freedom to go to any pharmacy of their choice. --Don't know how soon the federal legislations will pass but for sure the damage is done and if the senate and federal legislators do not act quickly, most PBMs have firm plans in place to completely wipe out the independent pharmacies and easy access to care. #stoppbmabuse #pbmreform #supportindependentpharmacy #stopverticalintegration

I saved $2,000/ year by switching from CVS to Amazon pharmacy! Here’s the backstory- I take several generic maintenance medications that are expensive but essential for my health. I’m enrolled in a HDHP. For the last few years, I’ve been filling my scripts at CVS but have watched the medications become more and more expensive. After a referral from a friend, I decided to switch to Amazon and was delighted with the savings! But there are a few things that you need to know before making the switch. Check out my video below to learn more! https://lnkd.in/et8qeBGD #EmployeeBenefits #Amazon #PBM

This particular pharmacy closure felt like it needed a little more of a deep dive. The pharmacy was purchased by grandfather Robert in 1919, run by father John starting in 1948, and taken over by son Fred in 1975. Now in 2023, Fred is retiring. For over 100 years, Pigeon, Michigan was served by one family. The pharmacy landscape has changed dramatically over that time period. Once the domain of small businesses like Orr's Drug Store, outpatient pharmacy is now dominated by publicly traded chains, and 340B fueled health systems. Huron County (pop. 31,400), the "Thumb Tip" of Michigan, is illustrative. With the closing of Orr's, there are now 9 outpatient pharmacies in Huron County. The western half of the county is covered by pharmacies owned by 340B Critical Access Hospital "Scheurer Health", with locations in Caseville, Elkton, Pigeon, and Sebewaing. The county seat, Bad Axe, is the only town of sufficient size to have chain stores. It has a Meijer, Walgreens, and Walmart, each of which is a 340B Contract Pharmacy for Critical Access Hospital "Huron Medical Center". The remaining two pharmacies, in Harbor Beach and Ubly, are owned by independent Harbor Drug, and were terminated as 340B Contract Pharmacies in 2019. I have to wonder how long they will continue on. This is the world wrought by non-enforcement of antitrust laws (especially Robinson-Patman) and the unintended consequences of 340B, both actions taken by the far-away federal government, but having profound effects on rural counties everywhere. https://lnkd.in/gk-GDmB8

If you are looking to buy a pharmacy - then you need to be able to analyse pharmacy schedules of payments. And we have it covered in our December special webinar - How to start your own pharmacy business. Sign up to the webinar. See details in comments