When it comes to finding a prescription delivery partner, healthcare organizations have a lot of options. But not all prescription delivery companies are equally effective.
Of course, any organization worth its salt will dig into a partner’s business practices and capabilities before signing a contract. But you can shorten your search and save yourself some effort by being aware of the following warning signs.
Red Flags
The delivery partner is a logistics company.
Obviously, companies that specialize in getting an item from point A to point B should have logistics teams. But when it comes to medication deliveries, look for a partner that emphasizes the importance of healthcare and technology. From the beginning, ScriptDrop has made it a point to understand the needs of healthcare entities and their patients, and then offer a simple, tech-enabled solution that can meet those needs. We’re not dispatchers. We’re healthcare experts and strategists.
Make sure your potential partner understands the need for patient privacy, data security, and swift resolution of delivery errors. Look for partners that can integrate with your existing pharmacy software and are continually improving and expanding their technology platforms.
ScriptDrop’s technology makes it possible to change as our customers’ priorities change. Many partners start with our web application, then later choose to integrate our API with their pharmacy software. Some begin with same-day delivery, then add on-demand or shipping later on. Don’t underestimate your needs. A cheap and easy option may prove frustrating as your delivery volume shifts.
The “delivery partner” is a digital pharmacy with a delivery platform tacked on.
Many prescription delivery partners start life as digital pharmacies, then evolve into delivery platforms over time to diversify their revenue streams. But many continue to operate as patient-facing pharmacies in the background. While combining dispensing and delivery can streamline the process of getting medications to patients, it also restricts a patient’s options. That can harm patients’ trust and ultimately contribute to poor adherence.
Unless your organization is comfortable utilizing a single pharmacy for fulfillment, consider pharmacy-agnostic delivery options like ScriptDrop that give patients the ability to continue using their community pharmacy.
The delivery partner employs their own drivers.
This might sound great. Companies that employ their own drivers can control how those drivers are trained, what uniforms they wear, and so on. But it’s not a scalable model. It’s the same case with delivery partners that depend on a single courier or gig economy provider for on-demand delivery. Our country is simply too vast. It is impossible for any one company to hire enough drivers to consistently reach every corner of the United States. That’s why most prescription delivery providers only serve specific regions of the country.
ScriptDrop is different. We have had to work hard to develop a comprehensive nationwide network that is flexible enough to reach patients in pharmacy deserts, like rural towns. We’ve also built up a level of redundancy that ensures there are always backup drivers if a given delivery partner isn’t available.
Beware of partners that boast of having “nationwide delivery in one to two days.” Unless you’re working with ScriptDrop, those deliveries won’t be sent out on-demand; they’ll be mailed through UPS, FedEx, or USPS. While shipping has its place in the prescription delivery landscape, calling it anything other than “shipping” is disingenuous.
The delivery partner requires customers to use their couriers.
Many independent pharmacies employ their own couriers, but still need a tech solution to streamline delivery. Not all delivery partners will allow an organization to hire their own drivers, but we think that’s great! ScriptDrop offers an affordable SaaS solution that community pharmacists can use to queue up delivery orders, communicate with their drivers, and save patient signatures.
The delivery partner only offers a single service level.
Limited service levels is often a consequence of relying on a single courier or ground carrier for delivery. If a company hires their own drivers, they likely offer same-day delivery. On-demand might be available, but it might not. Drivers are only people, after all, and without lots of backup drivers, on-demand may be nearly impossible to offer reliably.
Companies that exclusively use gig economy partners may be able to offer on-demand delivery, but may not be able to promise a consistent same-day or next-day delivery experience.
Even if you only need same-day delivery right now, give yourself options by choosing a delivery partner who can support on-demand, same-day or next-day, and shipping all in the same platform. Besides, having access to multiple service levels helps ensure patients always get their medication on time. For example, patients who usually get their refills shipped to their home may occasionally need same-day or on-demand delivery for acute conditions. Don’t make them wait for an antibiotic, pain relief medication, or Paxlovid.
Takeaways
Planning for the future requires accepting some risk. Many factors can affect the success of delivery programs. But here at ScriptDrop, we do know that by choosing a tech-savvy delivery partner that lets you change over time, you can roll with the punches.
- We have conducted over 10 million deliveries in five years.
- We aren’t beholden to a single courier partner. In fact, you can hire your own drivers.
- We support same-day delivery – not just 1- or 2-day shipping – nationwide. We can deliver outside of the easily-traveled, high-density urban or suburban areas that other delivery partners prefer.
- Our tech combines multiple service levels, all in the same platform.
- Our partners can choose to use our web application or go all-in with our API. Either way, your data can be stored long-term for audit purposes.
- We can deliver more than prescriptions, and we can bring them to targeted populations.
Choose your prescription delivery partner wisely. Email our team today at info@scriptdrop.co to see how we can help you reach more patients more effectively.