NowRx is expanding into telehealth, the digital retail pharmacy and prescription delivery company announced Wednesday.

NowRx Telehealth will enable provider-patient, app-based interactions, in addition to same-hour or same-day prescription medication deliveries, according to the company.  

WHY IT MATTERS  

The rollout's first phase will focus on the provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, an HIV prevention medication. NowPrEP will include a free physician assessment, lab testing and home delivery of PrEP, according to a press statement.

"NowPrEP eliminates the hassles of scheduling and visiting the doctor’s office, lab testing, and driving to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. It makes HIV prevention much easier and more affordable," wrote company representatives in the statement.  

When taken as prescribed, PrEP reduces the risk of contracting HIV from sexual contact by about 99%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   

At present, NowRx pharmacies are located in California and Arizona; the company accepts all major insurance plans except Kaiser Permanente.   

NowRx PrEP will only be available in California at this time, according to spokespeople for the company.  

THE LARGER TREND  

Virtual pharmacies have become an increasingly large sector of the digital health marketplace in recent years, with Amazon launching Amazon Pharmacy this past year after acquiring PillPack in 2018.  

Speaking of Amazon, it's also no stranger to app-based telehealth care: Amazon Care connects Washington state-based employees with providers for a wide variety of urgent and primary care needs. 

And that program may be expanding. Care Medical, which provides services for Amazon Care, has filed paperwork to start doing business in at least 17 other states.

ON THE RECORD  

"The ongoing pandemic has reinforced the need to provide medical care in the most convenient, accessible and safe way for patients," said NowRx CEO and cofounder Cary Breese in a statement.  

Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Twitter: @kjercich
Email: kjercich@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.