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Amazon Pharmacy has launched in-office kiosks, dubbed Amazon Pharmacy Kiosks, that allow patients to pick up their prescriptions inside select One Medical offices almost immediately after their medical appointment.
The company said each kiosk will be stocked with medications based on the prescribing patterns common to the particular One Medical facility.
The aim is to allow individuals to pick up a prescription at the same facility where they see their doctor.
Patients who send their prescription to Amazon Pharmacy will have the option to pick up their medication from the in-office kiosk upon placing their order on the Amazon app.
The app will provide any cost associated with the prescription and allow them to pay for their medication via the app. The medication will then be ready for pickup within minutes, the company said.
Patients will also have the ability to connect with an Amazon Pharmacy pharmacist through video or phone consultation.
The kiosks will be available in December at select locations in the greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Downtown LA, West LA and Long Beach.
The company said it expects to expand to other One Medical offices in the future.
"We know that when patients have to make a separate stop after seeing their doctor, many prescriptions never get filled," Hannah McClellan, VP of operations at Amazon Pharmacy, said in a statement.
"By bringing the pharmacy directly to the point of care, we're removing a critical barrier and helping patients start their treatment when it matters most – right away.”
THE LARGER TREND
In July, DoseSpot, an electronic prescribing platform that enables providers to send prescriptions directly to a patient's pharmacy from a clinic, announced its collaboration with Amazon Pharmacy to provide medication and delivery to DoseSpot users.
In June, Amazon Pharmacy announced that its customers who are caregivers can use the platform to help manage medications for family members or loved ones through their own Amazon Pharmacy account.
Additionally, Medicare Part D beneficiaries gained access to PillPack through Amazon Pharmacy for pre-sorted medication packets.
The same month, Wheel, a virtual care staffing and services vendor, announced the launch of an integrated medication access offering in its Horizon platform powered by Amazon Pharmacy.
The collaboration aimed to link prescriptions to faster delivery of popular treatments, such as GLP-1s and hormone therapies.
In May, virtual behavioral health company Talkspace partnered with Amazon Pharmacy to expand the availability of psychiatric medication fulfillment and home delivery.
The same month, Serve You Rx, a pharmacy benefit manager, collaborated with Amazon Pharmacy to offer home delivery services for maintenance medication to its members.
Amazon launched its online and mobile prescription medication service in November 2020, two years after acquiring virtual pharmacy PillPack for $753 million.
