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Frequently asked questions
- How does Uber Health’s prescription delivery work?
After a prescription is filled at a pharmacy, a coordinator can request through the Uber Health dashboard a courier to pick up the prescription from the pharmacy and deliver it to the recipient's home. Uber Health leverages a partnership with ScriptDrop, an Rx delivery company, to coordinate the delivery.
The prescription request itself is not a part of the Uber Health solution. Read more about same-day prescription delivery with Uber Health.
- How is this solution different from other prescription delivery solutions?
Down Small Many solutions allow individuals or pharmacies to make prescription delivery requests. Recognizing that people might need extra support or interventions, Uber Health enables healthcare organizations such as care navigators and care coordinators to be involved and make requests on behalf of their patients.
Additionally, the inclusion of prescription delivery within the Uber Health dashboard gives coordinators access to address multiple logistics barriers—rides and deliveries—for their patients in the same place.
Finally, with Uber Health, prescription delivery is available for any pharmacy in supported coverage areas.
- Who are the couriers?
Down Small Prescription delivery through Uber Health is powered by ScriptDrop, which has a network of couriers that it manages, including, but not limited to, delivery people who use the Uber platform.
ScriptDrop ensures that all couriers in its network undergo background checks that include exclusion and debarments lists from federal and state healthcare programs, in addition to driver’s license validations and criminal history checks.
- Where is this available?
Down Small Prescription delivery is available in the United States, within over 10,000 zip codes nationwide. Please contact us and we’ll review specific locations with you.
Delivery is available up to 15 miles from a selected pharmacy for preferred pharmacies that use ScriptDrop’s technology, and up to 7 miles from non-preferred pharmacies.
- Is it possible to order delivery from any pharmacy?
Down Small Deliveries are possible at any pharmacy registered with the NCPDP within delivery coverage areas; this program does not require the patient’s prescription to be transferred to a particular pharmacy.
When recipients do not have a preference in pharmacy, we recommend pharmacies that have integrated ScriptDrop’s technologies. The Uber Health dashboard will display preferred pharmacies with a star. Please reach out to Uber Health to inquire about pharmacy networks.
- When are the prescriptions delivered?
Down Small If you’ve submitted your delivery request before 2pm (local time where the delivery will take place), the request will be submitted to the pharmacy to be delivered later that day. Requests submitted after 2pm will be scheduled to be delivered the following day (note: a delivery submitted after 2pm local time on Friday will be delivered on Monday).
Deliveries are currently not available on weekends or holidays. Observed holidays include New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Deliveries typically take place within 4 hours, but please note that deliveries may be delayed due to factors including, but not limited to, busy pharmacy, out-of-stock medication, unpaid co-pay, and early-closing pharmacy.
The Uber Health dashboard will flag coordinators in the “Attention needed” section if there’s a potential issue with a delivery or if the delivery is taking too long at any stage in the process (for instance, too long at the pharmacy or too long with the courier).
Delivery requests are made in real time; currently, deliveries cannot be scheduled in advance.
- How is a recipient notified of their prescription delivery status?
Down Small Once the request is sent to a courier, the recipient will get a text with a link to a ScriptDrop-owned authorization page where they can track the status of their delivery.
Additionally, coordinators using the Uber Health dashboard can track when a delivery status changes. Deliveries that are taking a long time are flagged in the “Attention needed” section.
Real-time route tracking for coordinators, automated phone calls to patients, sharing trip information with trusted contacts, and texts in languages other than English are not available at this time.
- Does Uber Health collect the recipients’ co-pays or co-insurance for their prescription?
Down Small All co-pays and/or co-insurance will have to be paid before the courier can pick up the prescription from the pharmacy. These payments can usually be fulfilled electronically or over the phone directly with the pharmacy.
Uber Health does not facilitate these payments, and delivery people will not collect co-pays at dropoff.
We strongly recommend advising patients to call their pharmacy directly to complete any open payments before the delivery order is placed. Unpaid co-pays can delay the timing of a delivery.
- Does Uber Health provide proof of delivery?
Down Small Signature collection is at the discretion of the pharmacy.
For all deliveries, coordinators using the Uber Health dashboard can access information about the delivery, including time delivered and name of recipient. In the “Attention needed” section of the dashboard, coordinators can see if the delivery was unsuccessful for any reason.
- Does the recipient need to be home to receive the delivery?
Down Small Yes, the recipient needs to be home to receive the delivery.
If the courier cannot find the location or has any other issue, they will be prompted to return the prescription to the pharmacy where the delivery originated (note: a return fee may apply). The delivery request will be flagged in the “Attention needed” section of the dashboard.
- What happens if there’s a problem with the delivery?
Down Small The Uber Health dashboard’s “Attention needed” section will show the following information, alerting the coordinator that intervention is needed: -Deliveries where the courier was unable to find the recipient or is returning the prescription to the pharmacy for another reason -The time the delivery was canceled -If any stage of the process is taking longer than expected
- Are recurring deliveries supported for patient refills?
Down Small Recurring deliveries are not supported at this time.
- Can we deliver controlled substances?
Down Small The initial pilot does not support delivery of controlled substances. When requesting a prescription delivery, the coordinator will be prompted to attest that the prescription is not controlled.
- Can we deliver temperature-controlled substances?
Down Small Yes, our program supports temperature-controlled items. Pharmacies are responsible for appropriate packaging of the delivery.
- Can we deliver to hospital rooms?
Down Small No. Delivery beyond a front door is not supported as part of this program. Uber Health’s prescription delivery solution is best for deliveries to home residences.
- What patients is this appropriate for?
Down Small While deliveries can be sent to anyone, they are most likely to be successful when patients can receive the text updates to be able to track their delivery. These texts are only available in English at this time.
- What information is needed to request a prescription delivery on the Uber Health dashboard?
Down Small To request a delivery for someone, the coordinator must be ready with the following:
The name of the pharmacy to which the prescription was sent The recipient’s: -Name -Phone number -Date of birth -Destination address
The name of the prescription or NDC number is optional.
- How much do deliveries cost?
Down Small Delivery costs will be determined in your contract and will be a flat fee based on the distance (in miles) of the delivery. Fees are usage-based; there is no fee for signing up.
Deliveries are also subject to cancellation fees and return fees: A cancellation fee is charged if a coordinator cancels the delivery request after a courier has been matched. A return fee is charged if a courier cannot find a recipient and returns the prescription to the pharmacy. The return fee is equal to the cost of the original delivery.
Please note that you will not be able to see the cost of each delivery on the Uber Health dashboard for the beta program.
- How will I be charged for deliveries?
Down Small During the beta period, prescription deliveries will be billed monthly by ACH bank transfer. Credit card and paper check payments are not accepted.
If you use Uber Health for transportation, you will receive a separate statement and CSV for prescription delivery transactions.
Prescription delivery statements and CSVs will not be available for download in the admin portal or from the Uber Health dashboard at this time, but your point of contact at Uber Health will provide them to you. Please note that CSVs will not include the recipient’s name.
- Does the Uber Health dashboard meet HIPAA standards?
Down Small Yes, Uber Health’s standard terms contain a Business Associate Agreement that reflects general HIPAA requirements. Our technology also lets us focus on safety before, during, and after every trip.
- Is prescription delivery available through the Uber Health dashboard and Uber Health API?
Down Small Today, prescription delivery through Uber Health is only available using the web dashboard. We hope to make it available using the Uber Health API in the near future.
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