Health care is changing to keep up with what people need and want. And now, people want to choose where and when they get care. Here’s how Optum® Home Delivery Pharmacy offers convenience and saves money for patients.
Kristina’s story
Before choosing Optum Home Delivery, Kristina, a patient managing multiple medications, used to drive to her pharmacy and wait in long lines several times per month for various maintenance medications, which was inconvenient and often led to lapses in treatment. Keeping track of various prescriptions was also challenging. She had to constantly talk with her pharmacy and doctors about prescriptions that needed to be filled, renewed or were on back order.
Since switching to home delivery, Kristina said she no longer worries about these issues. She simply goes to her prescriber appointments, and Optum Home Delivery takes care of the rest. This new method of getting her medication has made her feel cared for and supported, she said, transforming the prescription refill process from a time-consuming, stressful ordeal, to a seamless process.
Most importantly, Kristina said she has noticed a significant improvement in her health from taking her medications on time because they are shipped directly to her home.
“Before switching to Optum Home Delivery, I would lapse and go off my medications for days or weeks at a time, which interfered with my ability to function at work. Getting back on track was exhausting and discouraging, as I would spend more days and weeks catching up,” Kristina said.
By choosing to receive her medications via Optum Home Delivery, Kristina has experienced a big shift.
“I’ve gone from just getting by to thriving in my daily life. I’ve never felt better.”
Kristina | Optum Home Delivery patient
The bottom line
For many patients, choosing to receive medications via mail order can be transformative. Optum Home Delivery Pharmacy is a full-service mail order pharmacy that offers patients the convenience of receiving medications directly at their home or an alternative location for pick up.* To safely deliver these drugs across varying temperatures, Optum uses proprietary cold chain packing that ensures temperature control for up to 80 hours in most climates2. Additionally, patients can speak to a pharmacist 24/7 by phone or online to learn more about their prescription and how to take it properly.
By the numbers: the benefits of prescription mail order
Why taking medicine on time matters: Taking medicine the right way helps people stay healthy. It can stop sickness from getting worse and helps people feel better faster. It also prevents more serious health problems from developing later.
Compared to retail pharmacies, prescription home delivery is associated with higher medication adherence rates, meaning people are more likely to take their medications, and take them on time. Specifically, home delivery of 90-day refills reduced the number of individuals who were not adherent to their medicine by up to 38% when compared to retail. Prescription home delivery is also linked to reduced hospital admissions and emergency department visits by 2%-4% over 12 to 48 months.1
Creating better access
Prescription home delivery can help people more easily get their medications, especially for those who:
Lack access to transportation and/or have difficulty leaving their homes
Live in rural areas and/or live in pharmacy deserts2
Work hourly jobs or shifts during traditional retail pharmacy hours that may limit or restrict access
Two-thirds of U.S. adults report taking prescription drugs to treat a long-term health condition, with one-third taking three or more drugs daily.1 Additionally, more than 15 million people live in pharmacy deserts, which include rural areas with underserved populations.5
Between the lines: cost savings
In addition to clinical value, the costs of prescriptions that home delivery pharmacies offer to their clients generate substantial savings for them and their members compared to retail pharmacies.
An estimated 12% of maintenance medications are currently filled at a home delivery pharmacy, predominantly through 90-day prescriptions. As a result, U.S. consumers and employers are already saving an estimated $600 million annually on home delivery of maintenance medications.4
If commercially insured adults filled 70% of their maintenance medications as home delivery prescriptions, instead of the current 12%, new potential annual savings for consumers and employers could reach $1.9 billion in the first year and $23 billion over 10 years.4
Home delivery offers a cost-effective solution, helping patients afford their medications and maintain their health.
New potential 10-year savings
Expanded use of home delivery of prescription medications can generate substantial new savings over 10 years:
$7 billion with 30% use of home delivery
$15 billion with 50% use of home delivery
$23 billion with 70% use of home delivery
*Availability of delivery to alternative locations is subject to state and federal law.
1 The UnitedHealth Group Center for Health Care Research UnitedHealth Group (UHG), “Commercially Insured Individuals Achieve Greater Medication Adherence with Home Delivery 90-Day Prescriptions: Up to 38% Fewer Individuals Are Non-Adherent Compared to Those with Retail 90-Day Prescription,” January 2024 ORx home delivery clinical value - commercial
2 Rural Health Information Hub, “Rural pharmacy and prescription drugs,” https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/pharmacy-and-prescription-drugs
3 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Addressing rural health inequities in Medicare,” https://www.cms.gov/blog/addressing-rural-health-inequities-medicare
4 Increased Use of Home Delivery Pharmacies by Commercially Insured Individuals Can Save Consumers and Employers an Additional $23 Billion on Prescription Drug Costs over 10 Years, September 2024: 2024.09_uhg_home_delivery_savings.pdf
5 National Library of Medicine: Locations and characteristics of pharmacy deserts in the United States: a geospatial study: Locations and characteristics of pharmacy deserts in the United States: a geospatial study - PMC
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