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Walmart Pharmacy is in the race for same-day delivery: Here’s how it works

Walmart Pharmacy is in the race for same-day delivery: Here’s how it works

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Competition for delivery prescription drugs heats up to your doorstep.

Walmart announced this week that it will begin offering same-day delivery from a pharmacy in six states and that the service will be available in 49 states by the end of January.

The national retailer said it now offers same-day delivery from pharmacies in Arkansas, Missouri, New York, Nevada, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Shipping is available for both new prescriptions and medication refills, and orders can be combined with regular items, the retailer said.

A Walmart pharmacy can reach 85% of US households

Walmart officials said in a recent survey that more than half, or 55 percent, of Walmart customers would like to receive prescriptions along with groceries and other items in the same order. With 4,600 stores in the U.S., delivery is available to more than 85% of households, the retailer said.

“Our broad presence across the country, combined with our deep expertise in pharmaceuticals, allows us to make a significant impact in the communities we serve,” Kevin Host, senior vice president of Walmart US Pharmacy, said in a press release. “We understand that health care is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s hyperlocal. Every community has unique needs. This new offering allows us to continue to serve customers while devoting more time to our pharmacies to provide comprehensive healthcare services.”

How Will Walmart Same Day Pharmacy Delivery Work?

Walmart+ members will receive free delivery from pharmacies. Non-Walmart+ members will pay a $9.95 shipping fee. Customers will have the choice of scheduling same-day delivery during certain delivery windows, or choosing on-demand delivery within three hours or express delivery in as little as 30 minutes, a Walmart spokesperson confirmed.

Amazon Pharmacy is also expanding

Walmart’s announcement follows Amazon, which also said it was expanding its operations same day prescription delivery service.

Amazon said it plans to expand its nationwide pharmacy network next year to reach nearly half of U.S. residents for same-day drug delivery.

National retailers such as Walgreens and CVS also offer same-day delivery of prescriptions within a certain radius of their stores.

What is a pharmacy desert?

News of the expanded prescription delivery services comes as national chains are also closing more retail pharmacies. Retailers, including national chains and independent stores, have struggled to make money under the insurance pharmacy manager model, which dictates where consumers can go for prescriptions and how much pharmacies will pay.

Walgreens recently announced it will close 1,200 underperforming stores and pharmacies as part of a turn. Another national drugstore chain, Rite Aid, is also closing stores. CVS earlier this year closed some of its pharmacies at Target stores and recently announced that it will release 3 thousand mostly corporate positions.

The closures have led to new areas around the country designated as pharmacy deserts, defined as communities without an open pharmacy within a 10-mile radius, said Dr. Timothy Pavlik, chief of surgery at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

What is a pharmacy desert? More pharmacy closings are leaving consumers in pharmacy deserts without access to medications

Pharmacy delivery may help some but not all consumers

Mail order and pharmacy services may help some customers, but not all, Pavlik said. Many consumers use mail-order pharmacy services or other pharmacy services that deliver medications within days. But it does not help when the medicine is needed on the same day.

Same-day delivery services for pharmacies “will probably serve some of the population, but not all,” said Pavlik, who has studied pharmacy deserts with a team of researchers and published articles in Aug in the journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA.

In an article that looked at data from 2020, nearly half of US counties, or 46%, had at least one pharmacy. While the traditional definition of a pharmacy desert is that there are no options within a 10-mile radius, Pavlik said it’s also possible for urban areas to have a pharmacy desert if the nearest location is 10 blocks away and consumers don’t have adequate access to transportation to get there. to the store

According to him, many areas without a pharmacy also do not have access to general medical care.

In an interview with USA TODAY, Pavlik, who also researches health care delivery systems, said the percentage of pharmacies leaving pharmacies is higher than the JAMA report indicated because they used data from 2020, and since then many other retailers the pharmacy was closed. or planned closure.

In areas where pharmacies close, consumers also lose access to pharmacists who can provide drug information, access to vaccinations and, in some cases, in-store health clinics, Pavlik said.

Not all consumers are happy with ordering and delivery at digital pharmacies

Same-day delivery online pharmacy orders also may not work for consumers who don’t have access to credit or debit cards or digital currency, Pavlik said.

Also, some consumers, especially the elderly, may not be comfortable with or have access to technology, he said.

Pavlik cited his father as an example. His father needs Pavlik’s brother to go to his house to log in for a telemedicine visit.

“If he was left to fend for himself, my dad wouldn’t be able to order his own medicine,” Pavlik said. “But he could go to the pharmacy because he did.”

According to him, using an online pharmacy delivery service also requires the presence of an open store within the region that would offer delivery.

For example, Walmart and CVS representatives told USA TODAY that their pharmacy same-day delivery services are typically within 10 miles of the store. Walgreens offers same-day delivery within 15 miles of the store. CVS also offers one- or two-day delivery within 50 miles of the store.

Betty Lin-Fisher is a correspondent for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Subscribe to our free newsletter The Daily Money, which will publish consumer news every Friday,
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