Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE NEW IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Digital Health
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Awards
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
    • Women in Healthcare
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
    • - Leaders to Watch
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Women Leaders
    • - Women to Watch
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Strategic Marketing
    • - Virtual Health
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Transformation Hub

Where healthcare challenges find solutions

  • Patients
  • Operations
  • Care Delivery
  • Payment
Patients
February 01, 2022 04:00 PM

Magellan Health to kick off drone delivery for prescription meds

Jessica Kim Cohen
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    drone
    AP

    Magellan Health's pharmacy benefits management division plans to roll out drone delivery for some members' medications later this year, the managed-care company said Tuesday.

    Phoenix-based Magellan Health, which was acquired by Centene last month, has partnered with Zipline, a company that develops and operates drones to deliver medical products. Magellan Rx Management will deliver prescriptions to members at home using Zipline drones. The program will start this year with specialty drugs for members with chronic and complex conditions.

    The initiative, pending final approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration, will focus first on Magellan Rx members in North Carolina, according to a news release. Magellan Rx will operate the program from an existing Zipline distribution center in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which will serve customers in a 7,800 square mile service area.

    Drone deliveries could ease access barriers for members with complex health conditions, said Mostafa Kamal, Magellan Rx's chief executive officer.

    Members will be able to schedule a 15-minute delivery window for their medications. Since members will be able to schedule deliveries for when they're available, that can help to address concerns members may have about medications being lost or stolen in the mail, while also making medication access more convenient, according to Kamal."It enables the patients to have more control over their schedules," Kamal said in an interview. "No longer wasting time waiting for their prescription delivery or waiting for a truck to show up."

    Download Modern Healthcare’s app to stay informed when industry news breaks.

    "Magellan Rx will operate the program from an existing
    Zipline distribution center in Kannapolis, North Carolina,
    which will serve customers in a 7,800 square mile service area."

    Medications will be stored at Zipline's distribution center, Kamal said. Magellan pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will load medications on to the drones for a delivery, and the drones are tracked and monitored from launch to drop-off using Zipline's software. The drones drop off packages with accuracy of roughly two parking lot spaces, he added.

    It won't cost members more to receive drugs via drone.

    "When you think about the total cost-of-care benefits of keeping patients adherent to their medications, I think ... that will more than make this a positive [return on investment]," Kamal said. "We'll be tracking those things to ensure that we prove out our hypothesis."

    Magellan Rx plans to track medication adherence and request feedback on patient experience during its first phase of implementation, which will focus on delivering specialty medications. The division plans to expand to other states as Zipline sets up new distribution centers and works with the FAA for approval, according to Kamal.

    Kamal declined to share financial details of its partnership with Zipline.

    Magellan Rx is the first pharmacy benefits manager to deliver specialty and traditional medications through Zipline, according to the news release. Zipline, which has raised $483 million since 2014, initially launched with delivering blood and other medical supplies to remote locations in Rwanda and Ghana. It has since partnered with U.S. health systems.

    In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Novant Health tapped Zipline to deliver personal protective equipment and medical supplies to its facilities. Walmart in 2020 partnered with Quest Diagnostics and drone company DroneUp to experiment with at-home delivery of COVID-19 tests.

    "Magellan Rx is the first pharmacy benefits manager
    to deliver specialty and traditional medications through Zipline,
    according to the news release."

    Drones have also been used to deliver lab samples, donor organs, automated external defibrillators and vaccines. Healthcare organizations and logistics companies testing such services have said drones could potentially deliver medical supplies more efficiently, without being slowed down by traffic and other roadway delays.

    So far, drone programs are limited by the distance that they can cover, said Jamie Kowalski, a healthcare supply chain consultant. The organizations most likely to be testing such programs establish defined areas that cover enough consumers, since drones aren't at a stage where they can transport supplies for long distances or across states.

    Depending on the region, time of day and how many supplies need to be delivered, drones could offer benefits in consistency and speed.

    "A lot of the ways [supplies] are being transported now are almost all by vehicle," Kowalski said. Particularly in metropolitan areas, such deliveries can be slowed down by traffic. "Maybe a drone is a more efficient way."

    Tags: Patients, This Week in Healthcare, Centene, Pharmacy benefit managers, Information Technology, Digital Health, Transformation, Transformation Hub, Medical Technology, Coronavirus, Supply Chain, Suppliers
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    long covid.png
    Most with long COVID were never hospitalized, study finds
    GettyImages-614627558_WEB.jpg
    Financial training linked to health improvement, study finds
    Sponsored Content
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Digital Health
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Nominate/Eligibility
      • 100 Most Influential People
      • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
      • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
      • Excellence in Governance
      • Health Care Hall of Fame
      • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
      • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
      • Top 25 Innovators
      • Diversity in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
        • - Leaders to Watch
      • Women in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Women Leaders
        • - Women to Watch
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Leadership Symposium
      • Galas
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Strategic Marketing
        • - Virtual Health
      • Webinars
      • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing