At a time when New Yorkers are shuttered home and trying to social distance, one company is doing its best to make that easier.
Capsule is a New York City-based digital pharmacy that recently expanded to serve all of Westchester, in addition to launching in Minnesota and Chicago. According to Capsule CEO Eric Kinariwala, they had plans to expand, but accelerated those plans in an effort to help Americans stay home during COVID-19.
“We founded Capsule five years ago to make getting medications easier, faster, and more convenient than ever before,” Kinariwala said. “We wanted to expand the same service we offer in the Bronx to help offer more communities the ability to get their medications without having to leave the house — giving them peace of mind and ensuring that they have the essentials while we combat this pandemic.”
Capsule emphasizes a number of benefits for customers over traditional pharmacies. Capsule offers free, same day delivery on all medications, has an easy-to-use app and also provides the ability to text or call a pharmacist at anytime, providing a private and secure way to get questions answered.
Capsule also coordinates with insurance companies to make sure customers get the best price and know the cost before checkout. With Capsule, patients’ copays also stays the same.
Capsule said they are focused on helping people now and providing a more “delightful pharmacy experience” and pointed to their customer satisfaction as a driver of their overall growth. This customer-first approach has won them a loyal customer base with five star reviews from over 5,000 users in Apple’s App Store.
Dr. Raman Patel, a Bronx doctor, praised the digital pharmacy.
“I have been practicing medicine in the Bronx for about 40 years and Capsule has made it easier for me to prescribe medications to my patients,” Patel said. “Contacting them is effortless and they always have the medications my patients need. My patients love Capsule because they are able to quickly speak with a pharmacist without having to wait in lines.”
Kinariwala said that research shows that 50 percent of prescriptions go unfilled across the industry because of how difficult it can be to get medications. He said that by applying technology to make it easier to get medications, Capsule customers have a 50 percent higher “medication adherence,” meaning they are more likely to take their medication like their doctor says.
This reduces costs for hospitals because if patients are taking their medications, they are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital or need additional care. Readmissions cost the U.S. healthcare system $50 billion last year, which Capsule believes can be reduced by making it easier to get people their medications.
