We are always on the hunt for stories and events that can be impactful on the specialty pharmacy segment. The story below recently crossed out path and poses some interesting applications.
When you run out of new services to offer your specialty patient with insurance, what else can do you do to keep them connected? How about giving them something that helps them with non-insured services? As detailed below, Hy-Vee Pharmacy has launched such a program, one which their specialty patients may like too.
The recently formed a new subsidiary called RedBox Rx. RedBox Rx doesn’t accept health insurance….. but patients can use HSAs or FSAs to pay for telehealth visits or prescription drugs and other treatments. But it doesn’t stop there.
A telehealth feature and online pharmacy platform are part of the offering. Telehealth has been tried by health care providers in the past but saw relatively slow uptake. It experienced a big leap forward in the past year+ during the pandemic. Connecting customers with the Hy-Vee brand is a logical gateway to build what the marketing folks call brand loyalty.
Hy-Vee forms telehealth, online pharmacy subsidiary
Dec 14, 2021 – Midwestern food and drug chain Hy-Vee has launched RedBox Rx, a new subsidiary that provides low-cost telehealth and online pharmacy services nationwide.
Hy-Vee said Tuesday that, to keep prices low and “save patients the hassle,” RedBox Rx doesn’t accept health insurance, but patients — who must be ages 18 and older — can use health savings accounts (HSAs) or flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to pay for telehealth visits or prescription drugs. Prescribed treatments are shipped free directly to patients’ homes throughout the United States.
RedBox Rx provides telemedicine services through a partnership with Austin, Texas-based Reliant Immune Diagnostics, which operates the MDbox e-health care platform Hy-Vee said the MDBox technology integrates with RedBox Rx.
Hy-Vee noted that RedBox Rx bypasses insurance as a way to provide fast, convenient and affordable care from health professionals who also can prescribe prescription medication.
“We pride ourselves on being experts in health and wellness, and it’s a major component of what we do every day, whether it be in our retail pharmacies or through our dietetic services,” Hy-Vee Chairman and CEO Randy Edeker said in a statement. “In today’s world, we know that more people are looking for quick, convenient and personalized health care options that can be shipped directly to their homes, and RedBox Rx does exactly that.”
Health care services and treatment plans available from RedBox Rx include men’s health, women’s health, hair and skin, mental health, migraine headaches and common illnesses and ailments, such as allergies, gastrointestinal issues, headaches (including migraine), sinus pressure and infection, nausea and vomiting, and pink eye.
According to Hy-Vee, telehealth consultation fees from RedBox Rx range from free to $39, depending on the type of treatment, and often cost less than typical medical insurance co-payments. The company added that RedBox Rx is also offers a complementary/alternative health care option that businesses can share with their employees, at no cost to the employer.
“Our mission at Reliant Immune Diagnostics with our MDbox platform is to provide affordable health care any place, any time,” stated Henry Legere, founder and CEO of Reliant Immune Diagnostics. “We’re excited to partner with Hy-Vee to provide our nationwide network of 24/7/365 medical professionals and our technologies to support their vision for the future of health care.”
Health care is a pillar of Hy-Vee’s offering, and the company has steadily expanded its array of services. In August, the grocer unveiled Hy-Vee Medicare Aisle, an agency offering Medicare coverage plans. The company’s in-store and freestanding pharmacies already provide a full range of pharmacy care, immunization and wellness services. In addition, Hy-Vee has more than 70 in-store retail health clinics; owns and operates two specialty pharmacies, Amber Pharmacy and Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions; and in late 2020 launched its own pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), Vivid Clear Rx.
Overall, Hy-Vee generates annual sales of over $12 billion and operates more than 280 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
by Russell Redman, Supermarket News
