BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patients can now get prescription delivery in as little as 1-2 hours at select Albertsons Companies pharmacies in Louisiana, Texas and the District of Columbia, decreasing the time they must wait to receive critical medications.

The new 1-2 hour delivery service is available at Albertsons Companies pharmacies in the following markets:

• Safeway pharmacies in San Jose, CA and Washington, D.C.
• Albertsons pharmacies in Louisiana
• Randalls pharmacies in Austin and Houston
• Albertsons and Tom Thumb pharmacies in Dallas-Fort Worth

The company plans to introduce 1-2 hour prescription delivery to additional markets throughout 2020. The new 1-2 hour service complements the same-day, next-day, and mail delivery available at most of Albertsons Cos.’ 1,700+ pharmacies. Patients can even add over-the-counter medications to their orders, which is especially helpful during flu season if they are not well enough to travel to the pharmacy or are homebound.

“It is our mission to take care of our patients and help them achieve their health and wellness goals. If they can’t make it to the pharmacy, then we want to take the pharmacy to them,” said Mark Panzer, Senior Vice President, Albertsons Companies Pharmacy Health and Wellness. “These delivery services eliminate barriers to medication adherence, first and foremost. They also make our patients’ lives easier because our pharmacy services are more accessible and convenient.”

To schedule a prescription delivery, patients can simply call their select Albertsons Companies pharmacy where their prescription was processed to request and set up delivery. Where available, patients can also use their local store’s pharmacy app to set up prescription delivery once they get the confirmation text that their prescription is ready. Delivery fees vary per market.

Once the prescription is ready for delivery, the pharmacy packages the medications in tamper-proof packaging and Albertsons Companies’ delivery partner, ScriptDrop, is notified. ScriptDrop then works with drivers who are HIPAA compliant and specially trained to deliver prescriptions while protecting private patient information. The drivers use a special app that tracks their progress and sends the patient live text updates when their prescription is out for delivery. All delivered prescriptions must be signed for at the patient’s delivery location.

“Albertsons Companies was an early-adopter of our vision of the future of pharmacy and utilizing technology to improve the patient experience. The entire ScriptDrop team is elated at the opportunity to grow our partnership alongside Albertsons Companies' innovative team," said Nick Potts, Founder and CEO at ScriptDrop. "ScriptDrop’s technology and infrastructure allows the pharmacies to follow through with their initiatives to improve medication access for patients, which resonates with the mission of Albertsons Companies pharmacies."

About Albertsons Companies

Locally great and nationally strong, Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. We operate stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2018 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company gave nearly $262 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veterans’ outreach.

About ScriptDrop

ScriptDrop’s team of healthcare experts have revolutionized prescription delivery by seamlessly connecting pharmacies to a network of trained, professional couriers. Established in 2017, ScriptDrop partners with pharmacies, health systems and couriers to ensure patients get their needed medication as safely and efficiently as possible. With delivery options across all 50 states, ScriptDrop is the first medication delivery program that integrates directly into the pharmacists’ workflow in an effort to reduce medication abandonment and improve patient outcomes. ScriptDrop is based in Columbus, Ohio with a mission to help one billion patients, one prescription at a time.