WellSpan to use drones for prescription deliveries

WellSpan Health will soon use drones to deliver pharmacy supplies to patients and transport lab samples and medical products between its facilities. 

As part of its pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the York-based health care system said it is partnering with Zipline, an autonomous delivery service, to use its electric drones to replace automotive delivery. 

Zipline’s aircraft will make deliveries up to seven times faster than automotive delivery, WellSpan said, adding it is the first health system to introduce this type of technology and delivery system at scale in Pennsylvania. 

“WellSpan continues to reimagine what health care can look like for our patients. With Zipline, we’re creating a future for our patients where getting a prescription filled is as simple as pressing a button,” said Roxanna Gapstur, president and CEO, WellSpan Health. “We’re making our system lower cost, faster, and more sustainable by bringing this exceptional technology to South Central Pennsylvania. We know the easier it is to access care, the healthier people can be. With Zipline, we’re connecting healthcare straight to your front door.” 

WellSpan said it will use Zipline’s Platform 2 home delivery system, which is known for its fast, precise deliveries and quiet operations.  

The system’s all-electric autonomous drone (Zip) flies to its destination and hovers in the sky, while its autonomous delivery droid descends on a tether, steers to the correct location, and drops off its package to an area as small as a patio table or the front steps of a home, WellSpan said.  

Patients will be able to track their delivery down to the second. WellSpan said Zips are built with fully redundant flight critical systems and operate in almost all weather conditions, from snowy winters to thunderstorms. 

“Zipline has been improving access to health care for eight years. Together with WellSpan Health we will bring prescriptions and medical products right to patients’ doorsteps with fast, sustainable and convenient delivery,” said Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, co-founder and CEO of Zipline. 

Zipline is used in the U.S. by hospital systems including Cleveland Clinic, Intermountain Health, and Michigan Medicine, the company said. 

Zipline deliveries emit up to 97% less CO2 on average than a traditional automotive delivery and are a key part of WellSpan’s green initiatives and sustainability efforts, including its pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, WellSpan said. 

Over the coming years, WellSpan Health will integrate Zipline’s service within select facilities and will share more details about how patients can sign up to use the service when it becomes operational.