OhioHealth Will Use Zipline’s Platform 2 to Deliver Prescriptions to Patient’s Homes

OhioHealth Implementing Zipline Drone Delivery for Medications, Samples and Supplies

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

 OhioHealth has announced a partnership with Zipline to integrate its drone delivery service into OhioHealth’s network.

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OhioHealth will use Zipline’s new Platform 2 to deliver prescriptions straight to patients’ homes, as well as to transport lab samples and supplies between OhioHealth facilities. By 2025, the partnership is expected to form an initial network with the ability to deliver to almost 2 million people in the greater Columbus area. The partnership will enable faster diagnostic turnaround times, direct-to-home prescription delivery, and lower carbon emissions due to Zipline’s fully electric platform.

“Zipline drone delivery provides a great alternative for OhioHealth as we look to grow our home infusion and specialty pharmacy home delivery services,” said OhioHealth Vice President of Pharmacy Services Charles McCluskey III. “It gets products to patients more quickly and at a lower cost, and uses less carbon intensive packing materials compared to our traditional delivery methods.”

“We are constantly looking at how to optimize the logistics of OhioHealth’s network of acute and non-acute points of care,” said OhioHealth Senior Director of Logistics/Sterile Processing Joshua Dritz. “And with our initial Zipline deployment, focused on the laboratory operations, we will significantly cut the time it takes to process lab samples and diagnostics, giving our physicians the information they need to make informed decisions faster.”

“We’re able to move lab samples between facilities in minutes and at a moment’s notice, instead of the hours it can currently take. That time savings is invaluable at every stage of the healthcare journey and can mean that people get diagnosed and treated faster, leading to better health outcomes,” said Hillary Brendzel, Head of Zipline’s U.S. Healthcare Practice. “Our service is sustainable, reliable, and already proven to improve people’s health and save lives. It’s designed to be so quiet that it blends into the background of life. We’re thrilled to partner with OhioHealth on bringing our innovations to the people they serve across the state.”

Zipline’s home delivery service is expected to deliver up to seven times faster than traditional automobile delivery, completing 10-mile deliveries in about 10 minutes, and reduces emissions by up to 97% compared to traditional delivery methods. Zipline’s nearly inaudible drones fly over 300 feet above ground and remain at that altitude upon arriving at the delivery location, hovering safely while its fully autonomous delivery droid maneuvers down a tether to gently and accurately drop off its package.

Third-party studies indicate that Zipline’s system helps to save lives, increase care, and improve patient outcomes. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania observed an 88% reduction of in-hospital maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhage thanks to Zipline’s logistics and delivery system. Several U.S. organizations such as sweetgreen, Michigan Medicine, MultiCare Health Systems, Intermountain Health, and GNC have already signed on to use Zipline’s Platform 2 system.

Read more:

• Expansion of Zipline Home Drone Delivery Services: GNC, Pagliacci Pizza, and More
• Medical Drone Delivery Pioneer Zipline Valuation Rises to $4.2 Billion
• Zipline Reveals Home Drone Delivery Platform
• Zipline in Rwanda: By 2029, Roughly 2 Million Instant Deliveries
• Drone Delivery in Utah: Zipline and Intermountain Healthcare Launch Program

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.