Green Shield Canada, PocketPills partner on virtual pharmacy access

Green Shield Canada is partnering with digital pharmacy PocketPills on a virtual pharmacy app for its group benefits plans.

Plan members will be able to chat with a pharmacist, refill existing prescriptions through the app and have their medications delivered to their homes for free. The drugs come pre-sorted into packages by dosage and time, according to a press release.

Plan sponsors can benefit from savings with lower dispensing fees than if their plan members were filling a prescription at a brick-and-mortar pharmacy.

Read: Drug plan considerations during the coronavirus pandemic

“GSC is always on the lookout for like-minded partners ready to innovative on the delivery of critical services,” said David Willows, Green Shield Canada’s executive vice-president of digital, innovation and brand experience, in the release. “On the heels of our partnerships with digital health leaders like Beacon — for guided mental-health therapy — and Maple — for telemedicine — working with PocketPills is a natural and logical next step, and we see great potential in our pooled creative thinking.”

The two companies said they’ll work together in the coming months to develop further digital health and pharmacy solutions.

“We’re incredibly excited about working with GSC and the doors we can open together to bring accessible and affordable medication to more Canadians than ever,” said Harj Samra, chief executive officer at PocketPills. “In an online world, Canadians deserve health-care services with a streamlined patient experience and this partnership is going to take that experience to the next level.”

Read: 5 benefits predictions for the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic