Uber Health chose technology from locally based ScriptDrop Inc. to launch same-day prescription delivery nationwide.
Some 3,000 health systems and insurers that are Uber Health customers now can order prescription delivery via ScriptDrop from the same dashboard they use to arrange rides for patients being discharged from hospitals, according to a release.
Embedding the software greatly expands the relationship that started in 2021 when the Grandview Heights company added Uber as one of its third-party couriers.
"ScriptDrop is really powerful because our pharmacy network is unmatched in this space," CEO Amanda Epp said.
"What’s really interesting about ScriptDrop is the vision has never really changed – how we get there might be tweaked," she told Columbus Inno. "If you live in a world where you can get a cheeseburger delivered to your door no matter where you’re at, you should be able to get your lifesaving medication."
ScriptDrop has delivered 1 million prescriptions so far this year, a quarterly pace it has kept up throughout last year, Epp said. That makes for a cumulative 11 million since it first launched five years ago.
A soon-to-be announced product rolling out later this year aims to expand medication access for another group of patients who may not have awareness that delivery is an option, Epp said.
Anywhere from one in 10 to half of new prescriptions go unfilled, depending on condition. Medication cost as well as available transport are cited as factors.
Hospital care coordinators using Uber Health for discharge planning now can make sure medications are delivered – with privacy protection as well as tracking to ensure delivery is complete – without assigning patients "homework," Caitlin Donovan, the division's global head, said in a LinkedIn post.
"Thanks to a phenomenal partnership with ScriptDrop and Amanda Epp, our reach is broad," Donovan said.
ScriptDrop's technology links with third-party couriers at any U.S. pharmacy registered with the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs.
Since 2021, pharmacies using ScriptDrop for delivery could choose Uber as a courier service. The new direct integration with its care coordination software opens up new patient populations.
For example, Uber Health has a partnership with CVS Health to arrange transportation to increase access to medical appointments, education and job training. Columbus' Linden neighborhood is among the pilot geographies.
Uber Technologies Inc. launched the health division in 2018, but does not break out its results in earnings reports.
In 2020 there was potential that Uber could acquire ScriptDrop outright, according to court documents in a lawsuit against the startup's founder and former CEO, which was settled last year. The company has never confirmed such talks took place. Epp said she could not discuss the case or status of any possible merger or other exit.
ScriptDrop's revenue increased in 2022 over the prior year, Epp said, declining to discuss specifics.
The workforce stayed about even at 85, avoiding the wave of job cuts among tech companies nationwide.
"We've always had to be very diligent and grow in an intelligent way," Epp said. "Ww have always run pretty lean and have been really good at managing our capital."
