Pharmacists and mayors demand CoBox video pharmacy
26.07.2010 17:25
“Ensure pharmaceutical supplies in rural areas!”
Over 600 pharmacists from all over Germany have now expressed their interest in the CoBox video pharmacy in writing. However, since there is no nationwide uniform approval procedure for the operation of this modern form of pharmaceutical advice and care, there are many inquiries that cannot be addressed. Many come from structurally weak areas in the Federal Republic. “Politicians have signaled to us that this regulatory gap will be closed in the short term as part of the amendment to the pharmacy operating regulations,” says Ulrich Baudisch, CEO of CoBox AG.
He doesn't expect any resistance to the CoBox video pharmacy. Baudisch: “The pharmacists in rural regions are calling for the CoBox in order to shorten the sometimes very long distances to the nearest pharmacy for their patients, who are mostly older, immobile and often non-motorized. By operating a CoBox, they see the opportunity to be able to fulfill their care mandate in the long term.” Health politicians at federal and state levels were also enthusiastic about the CoBox. Some mayors of smaller communities where the local pharmacy has had to close are requesting appointments to receive advice about the potential of the CoBox.
The CoBox is currently represented at various locations in Hesse. There, pharmaceutical advice via video conference is extremely well received by patients. “Customers also find the subsequent delivery of medicines to their door to be convenient and pleasant. The CoBox saves customers money and time and thus noticeably improves the quality of life. Therefore, further locations are currently being developed in Hesse,” says Baudisch. Other federal states are expected to follow in the next few weeks.
According to Ulrich Baudisch, the reason for the immense interest in the video pharmacy is the increasingly difficult pharmaceutical supply situation in rural areas. Operating pharmacies there would become increasingly unprofitable. This statement was recently confirmed in a study comparing pharmacies conducted by the Institute for Retail Research in Cologne. The CoBox has the potential to close the widening supply gap here. “I therefore hope that the amendment to the pharmacy operating regulations will soon result in a nationwide, uniform approval process,” said Baudisch. The CoBox video pharmacy can only be operated by a nearby owner-managed pharmacy, so that the collection of prescriptions from the CoBox and the delivery of medication in the area can be organized quickly and safely. The CoBox therefore ensures pharmaceutical safety for patients.
The CoBox is a consultation room in which customers can make personal contact with their familiar pharmacy via video conferencing technology. When the customer enters the CoBox, they can contact the team at the pharmacy, which is miles away, at the push of a button. Once the connection is established, the customer sees their pharmacist in front of them on a 52-inch LCD screen, in HD quality and in life size. Conversely, the customer is presented in the pharmacy in the same way, ensuring a personal conversation and, above all, a completely discreet and exclusive consultation situation while sitting. After the consultation has been completed, the customer makes his purchase using an EC card. Submitting prescriptions is also possible without any problems: they are scanned in the CoBox and transferred to the pharmacy within fractions of a second. The prescriptions are kept in the CoBox after the order is placed, picked up by a pharmacy courier before the medication is delivered and checked in the pharmacy. Depending on the urgency, the medication will then be delivered on the same day.
14.07.2010