Digital pharmacy startup offering free prescription delivery expands to the Triangle
There’s a new way to get your prescriptions in the Triangle.
Medly Health, a New York-based digital pharmacy startup that delivers prescriptions to your doorstep, is now operating in Raleigh, the company told The News & Observer on Friday.
The Triangle is the sixth market that the startup has opened in, and the company says it offers free, same-day delivery of prescriptions within 50 miles of its new hub on 3029 Capital Blvd. in Raleigh.
Previously, Medly was only operating in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Miami.
The startup, fresh off a $100 million raise from investors last year, is in expansion mode, taking advantage of consumers’ ever-growing willingness to do their shopping and other activities online.
It’s also one of the business models that has benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic’s curtailing of in-person activities.
The company has seen increased adoption in the past year, as many people no longer want to shop in person. That same sentiment has buoyed other startups like Instacart, which delivers groceries.
Digital health care, in general, has seen a huge uptick in interest because of the pandemic, and the company does have competitors. Amazon-owned PillPack also acts as a digital pharmacy.
But already Medly has gained ground in its existing markets, and it hopes to be in 20 markets by the end of the year.
Marg Patel, Medly’s CEO, said the company had around 75,000 customers in 2020 and delivered a million prescriptions. The startup also brought in about $200 million in revenue, Patel said, a huge uptick from when it was founded in 2017.
Patel said the company prioritized Raleigh because it has a fast-growing population and a thriving tech and health care base.
While the company is tech focused, offering a mobile app and text message services, Patel said the company wants to be inclusive to all groups regardless of their comfort level with technology or age.
In fact, many of its customers are seniors who don’t feel comfortable going to stores, Patel said.
“As a pharmacy we can serve a whole lot of patients whether they are tech savvy or not,” he said. “Whether it is a person who wants to call a pharmacist on their phone or just text us. It is an all-inclusive model.”
Like a traditional pharmacy, a prescription with Medly begins by having your doctor send it to them electronically.
Medly then connects with a customer via text message or through its app. The on-boarding process from there is relatively fast, Patel said, with the user then uploading their insurance through the app or on the company’s website.
After that, Medly validates and files insurance claims and looks for discounts that might apply to a customer. Once you have paid your co-pay on the prescription, a delivery is then scheduled.
Medly’s app also gives users the ability to track their delivery in real time.
The delivery model allows Medly’s one location to serve a larger geographic area than 20 traditional pharmacies could, Patel said.
Customers can still visit Medly’s pharmacy in person for a traditional brick-and-mortar experience, and pharmacists are available to talk over the phone seven days a week.
So far, Patel said, Medly has hired more than two dozen people in the Triangle, from pharmacists to delivery drivers.
The company will continue to hire as more people sign up for its services.
This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 8:30 AM.
