Chemist Warehouse has teamed with software-as-a-service company Whispir Limited to roll out Australia’s largest e-prescription network.
Customers can forward a prescription from their doctor via SMS, and collect their order in-store, skipping both wait times, and the need for a physical paper script.
Chemist Warehouse predicts that 30 per cent of the 50 million scripts it fills annually will utilise this service – a huge bulk of the Australian community.
Although COVID-19 has accelerated e-scripts somewhat, it does seem insane that this option wasn’t available widely prior to this, as Mark Finocchiaro, Managing Partner and Director at Chemist Warehouse explains.
“It seemed strange that in 2020 we would still be dependent on a piece of paper to fill a prescription, and we needed a way to immediately bring the e-prescription service to our customers during the pandemic with a sophisticated level of functionality.
“Whispir was able to tick all the boxes for us by quickly developing and deploying an e-prescription offering which was seamlessly integrated into the pharmacy workflow and eliminated in-store wait times for customers.
“It has provided an extra level of convenience and speed that has proven valuable to many Australians, such as busy mum looking after her family, who can now travel straight from a doctor’s appointment to a chemist warehouse store to collect a prescription, making for a more efficient journey with less waiting, giving patients more time to look after their health and that of their families.”
Jeromy Wells, CEO at Whispir adds, “We are proud to play a key role in bringing the e-prescription service to Australians. Whispir’s technology highlights the many benefits of digitising the traditional process from the doctor’s clinic right through to the collection point, such as the great convenience and safety benefits for customers who do not need to carry paper or spend time lining up for their medicines when they are unwell or busy.
“The intuitive functionality of our technology also helps the pharmacies to gather relevant information to process the order and allow for customers to choose the best store for them to collect from. The simplicity of the process and SMS interplay will support Chemist Warehouse in significantly increasing the number of e-prescriptions currently being processed in Australia.”
