Canadian pharmacy chain among first to let patients access medication records from home
One of Canada’s largest pharmacy chains is giving customers the option to get up close and personal with their medication records.
Rexall’s recent launch of MyRexall gives pharmacy patrons the ability to see and print their medication records from the comfort of home via a secure online account. Customers can also request refills, transfer prescriptions from other Rexall locations and access special offers.
“MyRexall offers Canadians a simple way to manage and view their medication records online,” said Rexall Pharma Plus CEO Frank Scorpiniti, “[It] reinforces our commitment to making it easy for Canadians to feel good about their health.” The company also hinted at other “innovative options and functionalities” to be added in the weeks to come.
“At this point I see this as a simple prescription refill service on steroids,” said pharmacy analyst Derek Desrosiers of Desson Consulting Ltd. in Vancouver. “This is just another of those value-added pieces that are about building customer loyalty and getting [customers’] permission to have that ongoing communication.”
He points to Loblaw’s recent acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart as another prime example of this quest for customer allegiance. “The combination of their loyalty programs combines millions of records and that’s huge,” he said. “The whole idea is to create enough loyalty that customers see your store as a one-stop shop.” And for Rexall, giving customers easy access to their medication records ties in with the company’s recent rebranding, which focuses on health, wellness and patient engagement, he added.
Desrosiers expects we’ll see more of these kinds of services coming from Canadian pharmacy retailers in the near future, especially those big enough to have a common technology platform. “This is where the small independents are at a disadvantage,” he said. “Customers want this information and the more of a connection you can create, the greater the chance you’ll have a long-term customer.”
In the U.S., similar online medication tracking programs are available at pharmacy retailers like Walgreens.
This story originally appeared in Canadian Grocer
