Harris Health System is reporting a dramatic increase in U.S. home pharmacy deliveries from 2,000 in the three years to February 2020, to in excess of 100,000 since March.
The company's home pharmacy department has focused on making the experience of medication pick-up easy, affordable and more convenient for patients.
This commitment has been tested during the pandemic when patients were no longer allowed to visit any of Harris Health’s 15 pharmacy locations because of possible exposure to the virus while waiting in large numbers for their medications.
Michael Nnadi, PharmD, senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Harris Health, says: "As COVID-19 started to emerge across the nation, we decided to leverage our existing home delivery option—a free service provided to Harris Health patients.
"Our delivery method protects patients; they are able to stay home and stay safe instead of coming into the clinic to wait on their medication.
This ensures the safety of our employees as well.
"Home delivery also eliminates wait times, reduces the number of calls, minimizes transportation expenses and most importantly, decreases exposure to infection.
The feedback from our patients has been truly outstanding."
In recent weeks, the company has also delivered refrigerated items directly to patients who may need insulin and other medication that must be stored in cold conditions.
Indeed, insulin and medication for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions (typically asthma and COPD), account for the majority of medicines delivered.
