As supply chain pressures and rising drug costs challenge patients and prescribers alike, Gifthealth is rethinking how prescriptions reach the people who need them most.

Chip Parkinson, CEO, explains how the company’s platform simplifies the prescription journey, removes barriers, and ensures patients receive medications quickly, safely, and at the lowest possible cost. By combining AI, automation, and digital infrastructure, Gifthealth connects manufacturers, prescribers, and patients in a seamless, direct-to-patient model that transforms pharmacy logistics at scale.

How do you manage pharmacy logistics, particularly with current supply constraints?

As the first platform to offer direct to patient (DTP) model at scale, we have reimagined the prescription journey to make it truly complete and frictionless. Our comprehensive single partner platform unites manufacturers with prescribers and patients, creating an intuitively connected prescription journey which simplifies the path to fulfillment and purchase for everyone. The entire workflow, including pricing, routing, prior authorizations and shipping logistics is digital first.

From intake to delivery and adherence, our advanced AI, automation and digital infrastructure can flex to a variety of situations and patient needs. At the same time, we connect multiple moments and data stories to provide manufacturers with a full picture view of where enhancements can happen.

For example, one of our manufacturer partners was facing significant challenges achieving market share for their brand name gastroenterology medication in a generic-dominated market. By collaborating with our pharmacy network, the manufacturer was able to achieve an average time to fill of 1.42 days – significantly outperforming the industry average of 5.79 days (URAC). Automated prescription processing and system integration, combined with accurate and timely medication dispensing also optimized fill rates, reduced reversals and enhanced patient care.

What pricing levers or negotiation models do you use to keep costs down for patients?

Our advanced AI-driven verification analyzes patient benefit information, historical medicines pricing, pharmacy data and real-time claims adjudication to identify the best price for any medication. Auto-applied coupons also ensure patients do not overpay. Combined, this removes the cost barrier and ensures patients start and stay on treatment.

For example, one of our manufacturing partners encountered challenges related to complex Medicare B billing. This was leading to a high copay for patients on COPD medication. By implementing billing correction efficiencies through our platform, we eliminated the previous $220+ copay for patients, making the medication more accessible and affordable. The patient experience was further improved by introducing a medication synchronization program that enabled patients to receive a combination therapy of inhaled medications through a single channel. These approaches led to increased patient satisfaction and adherence and improved brand reputation and customer retention.

How does your direct-to-consumer model work?

We help patients get their prescriptions by removing logistical, cost and communication barriers. Our platform automatically applies discounts and coupons from drug makers and matches a patient with the best pharmacy for them based on location and price.

Once a prescription is received, we contact the patient to verify the information, then prepare and ship it. This contact is done via simple SMS text messages, leading to a consumer-friendly, e-commerce like checkout experience which doesn’t require login credentials or an app to download and can even be completed on a mobile device.

There are no memberships, subscriptions, or shopping around from pharmacy-to-pharmacy to get the best price. There are also no hidden costs for patients – only the copay if applicable.

We work with all insurance companies and have built an automated process for getting medications approved, making it easier and faster for doctors to get medications requiring prior authorizations filled.

If there is a way for patients to save on their medication, we will find it.

How do you address safety, monitoring, and adherence?

We encourage patients to take their medication by lowering costs, simplifying access and integrating manufacturer support.

Strategies like patient education, regular follow-ups, adherence tracking, automated coupon assistance, free delivery, and automated refill messaging help ensure patients remain on their prescribed treatment regimens.

Cost is a major driver of nonadherence. As well as our advanced AI-verification process to identify the best price, discounts and coupons from drug makers are automatically applied to bring the cost down even further. By keeping the price low, we encourage patients to not only start but stay on potentially life-changing, or lifesaving, therapies.