Cleveland Clinic Launches 5-Mile Drone Prescription Delivery in Ohio With Flights Under 5 Minutes
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 11
Cleveland Clinic Launches 5-Mile Drone Prescription Delivery in Ohio With Flights Under 5 Minutes
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 11
Summary
Beachwood-area patients in Cleveland Clinic’s home-delivery program can now receive eligible prescriptions by Zipline drone, in what the health system called the first long-term U.S. hospital deployment for home drug delivery.
The service starts within 5 miles of the Beachwood Administrative Campus, where autonomous electric drones lower packages by tether from as high as 300 feet and typically complete flights in under five minutes.
Shelf-stable medications are included at launch, while controlled substances are excluded; patients pay no extra fee, can choose a drop spot on their property and track orders through MyChart.
Zipline said its drones do not stream live video to employees and receive only delivery data needed for handling requirements; if weather or other issues ground a flight, Cleveland Clinic will switch to a courier.
Cleveland Clinic plans to expand beyond prescriptions to other medications, lab samples, meals and medical supplies, building on Zipline’s network serving more than 5,000 health facilities since 2016.