How Does Prescription Delivery Work?

Before the pandemic, prescription delivery was much harder to arrange, partly because of the cost of transportation and the difficulty of verifying identity.

As technology has evolved and consumer demands increased, getting your prescription delivered to your doorstep has never been easier.

Customers don’t have to go to a pharmacy to obtain their medication, allowing them to save time throughout the day and reduce the possibility of getting pharmacy staff sick.

This article will cover not only how prescription delivery works but the challenges and benefits you can expect.

How Does Prescription Delivery Work?

It’s amazing to think that life-saving medication can be accessible with just the press of a button like ordering a pizza on a Friday night!

Depending on the platform, prescription deliveries can be made by downloading an app, uploading your prescription and any over the counter items, then selecting the type of delivery best suited to your availability.

Depending on the platform you can also manage your refills and have them delivered automatically.

Prescription deliveries can also be set up so they are delivered on a routine basis, as well as being offered as a direct service from a pharmacy, or handled by a reliable courier company operating on behalf of the pharmacy.

It’s important to note that rules vary by country and state, and some medicines, such as certain controlled substances, may have extra restrictions or may not be available for delivery at all. Your pharmacy can tell you what applies to your prescription.

How To Order Prescriptions For Delivery

As consumer demands increase, there are more prescription delivery services available. We can partially thank the pandemic for compelling pharmacies to get creative and find contactless ways to get medication to customers.

If you’re curious as to how you can order prescriptions for delivery, the following paragraphs will focus on how you can order medications online and have them delivered when desired.

Depending on where you live, your prescription may be kept on file at the pharmacy, sent electronically, or sent by your doctor directly to the pharmacy.

Take SuperPharmacy for example, who are an online pharmacy that provides Australian customers access to prescription medications.

The challenges they faced during the early stages of the pandemic led them to using Locate2u as a solution to optimize routes for their drivers and manage bookings.

“With the pandemic we saw couriers start to slow down and hit delays, so we ended up leaning more and more heavily on our drivers. Our customers saw the benefits of that in ensuring critical medication was being delivered on time by us personally…” Lachlan Fraser-Bell, Product Designer

When this article was first written, prescription orders from this platform required a signature on delivery.

You can also receive updates and live tracking once the order has been prepared in their warehouse. This allows you to view its progression throughout the entire delivery journey, giving you peace of mind that your prescription is in safe hands.

Benefits Of Getting Your Prescription Delivered

Time saved

Taking time out of your day to duck to the pharmacy might not seem like a tedious process. However, if you work 9-5 or just don’t have time to pick up your prescription then having it delivered is exceedingly beneficial.

Who wants to spend time waiting in line, when you can simply go online and have it delivered?

Never forget a dose

It’s easy to forget your prescription, especially when life gets busy. Here’s the good news!

Because prescription deliveries can be set up so they are delivered routinely, this means you’ll never forget to refill your order.

Non-contact delivery

No-contact or contactless delivery became widespread during the early stages of the pandemic and is still a method many customers use.

It’s a great way for customers who are unwell, or who simply want their medication, to stay at home and avoid contact with other shoppers.

Rest while you recover

The last thing you want to do when you’re ill is leave the house and go to the pharmacy. Rest is often part of recovery, so staying in bed and having what you need delivered is a better alternative.

Plus, staying at home means you avoid spreading an illness to others or picking up something new while you’re run down.

Why Pharmacies Offer A Delivery Service

Like any service, delivery is more convenient and offering it is key to achieving customer satisfaction.

Whether you’re a smaller or already established pharmacy branch, offering this service will broaden your customer base and the overall reach of your operation.

It’s not only consumer demand that has seen a spike in pharmacies offering delivery services, but also the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lockdowns meant pharmacies had to find ways to get medication to their customers.

No-contact deliveries also helped pharmacies follow public health guidance, and they lower the chance that pharmacy staff come into contact with ill patients.

Another reason as to why pharmacies provide delivery services is because it frees up time for pharmacists. This allows them to focus on other aspects of their job, enhancing productivity for the pharmacy.

What Is Hindering Prescription Delivery Today?

While there are benefits of prescription delivery, there are still limitations to its effectiveness. The first is finding enough trained, trustworthy drivers to handle medication, which can make it difficult for pharmacies to access a large driver network.

There are still a lot of patients out there who are unaware this option is currently available. This can be seen in elderly patients who can be deemed out of the reach of today’s advertising. Because of this, they are less likely to be informed of this service.

Another thing to consider is that delivering prescription medication is a lot different than food and retail deliveries. Getting the wrong pizza delivered isn’t the same as the wrong medication.

A customer’s well-being heavily relies on receiving the correct prescription. A lot of problems can arise should mistakes be made which is why scripts need to be delivered to the right patient.

How Delivery Management Software Can Help With Prescription Delivery

Those operating a pharmacy who offer delivery services to their customers can benefit from using delivery management software like Locate2u.

Spending hours manually planning routes and bookings is inefficient. With Locate2u, your drivers’ routes can be built in minutes, not hours.

With Locate2u’s booking management system, you can check the status of any order and see whether it’s pending, en route or has arrived at its destination. It’s a convenient way to keep your pharmacy’s operations running effectively and maintaining transparency throughout the delivery process.

Here’s more on how pharmacies can track medical and pharmacy delivery runs with Locate2u.

Still not convinced? Take SuperPharmacy’s word for it:

“Before Locate2u we used to have to generate new routes if we wanted to change the order of things whereas with Locate2u we can adjust the day’s deliveries on the fly, allowing us to move orders into a higher priority…” Lachlan Fraser-Bell, Product Designer

Conclusion

The increasing demand for prescription delivery has seen many pharmacies offer these services to achieve customer satisfaction, meet public health policies and broaden their overall customer base.

Operating a pharmacy that offers this service can be tedious, which is why Locate2u is the solution for you. With route optimization, real-time tracking, booking management and proof of delivery, you can take your organization to new heights.