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By embedding Amazon prescription services into its urgent care provider ecosystem, Experity says patients can access the delivery service for certain prescriptions during their appointments.
Urgent care clinics that use the Experity platform now have the opportunity to give their patients access to Amazon Pharmacy and order prescriptions during their appointments, the company says.
It's billed as the urgent care industry's first integration with the tech giant's drug fulfillment service, and the companies say it could reduce patient medication abandonment and the administrative burdens of prescribing.
WHY IT MATTERS
Amazon's automatic price transparency tool data embedded in the Experity Urgent Care Partner platform can compare drug costs during appointments and schedule same-day delivery in select locations, Experity said last week.
"Collaborating with Amazon Pharmacy is a milestone moment, not just for Experity, but for the future of on-demand healthcare," Adrian Agostini, Experity's chief revenue officer, said in a statement. "This brings together two powerhouses redefining how care is delivered, and it’s a tangible step in connecting retail-level convenience with clinical excellence."
For patients with transportation and health barriers, same-day delivery of urgent care prescriptions may lower prescription abandonment rates. Studies show that urgent care patients are more likely to start and follow through with their prescribed treatment, Experity said.
The collaboration with Amazon Pharmacy is removing one of the biggest barriers to starting treatment, according to Dr. Andrea Giamalva, Experity's chief medical officer.
"Fifteen percent of urgent care call volume is pharmacy-related, often requiring clinic staff to troubleshoot medication availability options for patients, resend prescriptions, or switch pharmacies altogether," she said in a statement.
"All of which consume valuable time and create unnecessary friction for the patient and delay disease treatment."
THE LARGER TREND
Experity said its platform is used by 22 of the 25 largest enterprise urgent care organizations in the U.S.
Earlier this year, the company launched a HIPAA-compliant artificial intelligence feature for patients and urgent care clinic staff. The feature utilizes mobile messaging for registration and web chat for more sensitive interactions, such as triage, and enables providers to manage discharge notes, payment collections and other tasks, Experity said.
"To attract and retain patients, urgent care organizations must focus on personalizing engagement and guiding individuals toward customized health outcomes," Agostini said in a statement. "Today’s generation of consumers want to be actively involved in addressing their health needs and Experity Care Agent literally puts urgent care in the palm of their hand."
ON THE RECORD
"We've built a transparent, customer-obsessed pharmacy experience that eliminates unnecessary wait times and gives customers clear visibility into prescription costs before they buy, and makes it simple to start treatment," Tanvi Patel, vice president and general manager of Amazon Pharmacy, said in a statement.
"By integrating Amazon Pharmacy into Experity’s Urgent Care Partner Ecosystem, we're reducing delays and friction between diagnosis and first dose, fundamentally transforming how quickly customers can begin their treatment and recovery journey."
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
