ANN ARBOR (WWJ) – Some patients in Southeast Michigan will soon have a new way to get their prescription pills: delivery via drone.
Michigan Medicine announced Wednesday it will deploy Zipline's new home delivery service to bring prescriptions to hundreds of thousands of patients around Washtenaw County beginning in 2024.
Zipline, a California-based company that has distribution centers in the U.S., Japan and Africa, is a next-generation platform that uses autonomous, electric drones to "make fast, extremely quiet, ultraprecise deliveries to rural, suburban and even dense urban areas across the region."
Michigan Medicine officials say the service can "deliver to areas as small as a patio table." It is expected to deliver up to 7 times as fast as traditional automobile delivery, completing 10-mile deliveries in about 10 minutes, officials said.
Michigan Medicine will be among the first organizations to use Zipline's next generation platform, which is nearly inaudible and designed to sound like the wind rustling leaves. Zips can fly and deliver autonomously day or night and through all kinds of weather.
Officials say the new partnership is part of the health system's work to "significantly expand patient access to its specialty pharmacy services which cares for patients with complex and rare diseases."
The partnership will more than double the number of prescriptions Michigan Medicine fills each year through its existing in-house pharmacy.
"By deploying Zipline we are able to make deliveries faster than ever before, saving time for both patients and our medical workers, enabling faster, affordable, pharmacy care that leads to better patient outcomes," said Marschall S. Runge, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Michigan Medicine. "We are always looking for innovative, sustainable improvements to serve our patients. We're thrilled to soon provide the next frontier of care to our patients with Zipline."
Zipline is the world's largest commercial autonomous delivery system, according to a press release.
Zipline's slim dual-purpose docks, chargers and loading portals will integrate into Michigan Medicine's specialty care pharmacy in Dexter, which is slated to open later this year.
With a 10-mile service radius per dock or up to 24 miles one way, and several docks being installed across the region, the P2 Zips will be capable of delivering the many prescriptions that Michigan Medicine fills and processes each day, according to the health system.
Unlike car and truck deliveries today, Michigan Medicine patients and patient care teams also will be able to track their packages in real-time, and know the delivery time down to seconds using the Zipline app or website.
"Together with Michigan Medicine we are improving the healthcare experience by bringing prescriptions and medical needs right to patients' doorsteps. With Zipline, getting prescriptions will be faster, more convenient and more sustainable than ever before," said Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, CEO and co-founder of Zipline.
Once the program goes live, patients will have the option to receive home delivery via drone or continue receiving packages via traditional vehicles.
