Online shopping was already remaking the US retail landscape before COVID-related shutdowns, and its impact has only grown stronger since. Most retail sectors have seen a 74% rise in online transaction volumes since March 2019, according to ACI Worldwide, a provider of real-time, electronic payment solutions for banks, merchants, and billers.

Now, online specialty pharmacies promise to revolutionize the drug-store industry as well. These new players, such as Avella, Medly, and Ahma Rx, aim to go beyond the online ordering that CVS and Walgreens, for example, have offered for years. As New York City-based Ahma explains on its website, “We don’t just dispense medications. From authorization support to financial assistance to medication therapy management … We’ll be an advocate for everyone involved in a treatment plan, so the focus is always on the patient, not the paperwork.”

Spotting a Need

Medly launched in June 2017 in Brooklyn, New York, because “The founders noticed a major gap in how individuals interact with the pharmacy and how ideally it is a major hub among patients, providers, manufacturers, and insurance,” says Jitu Patel, head pharmacist and chief compliance officer. “The goal was to create a pharmacy that utilizes technology, has amazing customer service, focuses on patient outcomes, and creates a seamless experience for everyone involved.”

Many physicians welcome the new mission. “Typically, you prescribe a medication, but the physician and staff spend 10 minutes trying to figure out which CVS a patient goes to,” says Nathan Radcliffe, MD, a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and a cataract and glaucoma surgeon at the New York Eye Surgery Center. “This is simple.”

“I was introduced to Medly by a pharmaceutical sales manager as an answer to my frustration with my patients getting converted to generic medications without my knowledge,” says Eric Mann, MD, of Eye Associates of North Jersey, in Dover.

How It Works

In Medley’s case, the company offers 2 ways to send a prescription: patients can either inform their doctors they would like their medication sent to Medly Pharmacy or use the Medly mobile app to transfer their current prescription; alternately, a paper prescription can be dropped off at a Medly Pharmacy or a photo of the prescription can be uploaded to the Medly app. Once the prescription is entered, Medly offers free same-day delivery. Medications are delivered in tamper-free packaging by the members of the HIPAA-certified delivery team, Mr. Patel explains.

These pharmacies provide another service sure to be appreciated by practices: “Specialty pharmacies undertake the prior authorization (PA) and coupon process themselves and consider it their obligation to get these prescriptions paid for,” Dr. Radcliffe says. “That really alleviates the burden on my office staff,” Dr. Mann adds.

Unfortunately, access to specialty pharmacies is limited — for now. For example, Medly provides services in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, with more locations planned over the next year. Ahma Rx services are available in New York City and Westchester County in New York, as well as parts of New Jersey. Avella has locations in 8 states, but it offers to deliver prescriptions in all 50 states.

Expect Them to Grow

The business model of specialty online pharmacies “entirely depends on MDs preferring it,” Dr. Radcliffe says. Given their undertaking of PAs, manufacturer discount programs, and delivery, that preference seems a sure thing. Add in the ongoing COVID-19 factor discouraging trips to brick-and-mortar stores, and the future of these pharmacies seems bright indeed.

Specialty online pharmacies like Medly “want to change prescribing so that when I write a prescription for a drop, there’s no worrying that it won’t get covered and of hearing a week later that the patient hasn’t gotten their meds, is going blind, or has high pressure,” Dr. Radcliffe says. “Medly’s approach is that when it is sent a script, it’s going to get it covered or a representative will be in touch shortly.”