Dive Brief:
- Albertsons has introduced one- to two-hour prescription delivery from some of its pharmacies in Louisiana, Texas, California and Washington, D.C., according to a company press release.
- The service will be available to Safeway customers in San Jose, California and Washington, D.C.; Albertsons customers in Louisiana and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area; Tom Thumb pharmacies in Dallas-Fort Worth and Randalls pharmacies in Austin and Houston, Texas.
- The grocer will introduce one- to two-hour prescription delivery in additional markets next year. Same-day, next-day and mail delivery is currently available from most of Albertsons pharmacies, the company said.
Dive Insight:
Albertsons’ senior vice president of pharmacy health and wellness, Mark Panzer, said in a statement delivery can help eliminate barriers to medication adherence, and also make pharmacy services more convenient and accessible for shoppers. Patients can also add over-the-counter medications to their orders.
Delivery can be set up over the phone or via app with participating Albertsons pharmacies where customers have processed prescription requests. Fees for delivery vary by market.
The pharmacy will package medications in tamper-proof packaging, and will then work with third-party partner ScriptDrop to facilitate delivery. ScriptDrop works with specially trained, HIPAA-compliant drivers to deliver prescriptions. Drivers will use a special app to send patients live text updates and track progress.
Pharmacy delivery could be the next battleground for retailers. Costco and Instacart recently announced a prescription delivery pilot program in Washington and California, and Publix is offering the service to patients of a local hospital in South Carolina.
Fast-growing ScriptDrop, which is based in Columbus, Ohio, recently announced expansion plans and will bring 80 new jobs to Columbus. It works with thousands of pharmacies nationwide but does not specifically say which other retailers it has partnerships with.
