IBM improves diabetes care in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — IBM on Wednesday announced its collaboration with Tienda Diabetes, a leading Mexican healthcare provider, to provide diabetes patients with affordable same-day delivery options for medicines, treatments and personalized care with the launch of Farmacia Online, Mexico’s first specialized online drug store.
Tienda Diabetes, a business unit of Soluciones Hospitalarias Integrales (SOHIN), turned to IBM Commerce to help provide better care for people with diabetes, cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases, through the launch of Farmacia Online and its national distribution network. Previously, medicines that diabetics needed to treat their condition were not readily available or difficult to find, forcing patients to go to multiple stores to purchase their medicines. If the products they needed were not in stock or sold out, they would need to continue searching, putting the patient's health at risk.
“With Mexicans spending about $382 million on diabetes medications annually, the disease is a major challenge for the Mexican national health system,"Juana Marcela Ramírez, general director of SOHIN, said. "We needed to address the growing demand for better access to medicines and treatments that had not been readily available. Through the collaboration with IBM, Tienda Diabetes’ Farmacia Online is providing an affordable and efficient way for patients to access the medicine they need, when they need it."
During the first phase of development of Farmacia Online, IBM Commerce and IBM Business Partner Edgebound jointly designed an e-commerce platform that simplified the purchasing process. Rather than having to visit several local stores, customers can now browse through and buy 3,500 products — including medicines, treatments and low-sugar foods — in one place and within just a few minutes. Additionally, patients can consult with pharmacists online about their treatments and share experiences and feedback with other customers.
“The Mexican health care industry needs to adapt to a new generation of patients who are taking proactive roles in their health care and who expect real-time services at their fingertips,” said Guillermo Labastida, executive, IBM Commerce. “SOHIN’s partnership with IBM, as well as with local doctors and pharmacists, gives patients affordable, faster and more reliable health care support."
Using IBM Commerce capabilities, online sales have soared 50%, with the average order value increasing by more than 60%, the companies reported.
Analytic insights generated from the platform will help identify purchasing patterns of different types of medicines most in demand and provide better understanding of the individual patient – such as age, family history of high blood sugar or where they live – for doctors to make decisions with a higher level of precision for an individual's treatment. Farmacia Online additionally offers its services to insurance companies.
Through the new e-commerce platform on Farmacia Online, customers can also set up recurring purchases, including reminder alerts to schedule automatic refills. Tienda Diabetes also offers same-day delivery options for a patient to receive their purchases within just a few hours, 40% faster than the average national delivery time. Since launching the new site, approximately 85% of new visitors have become loyal customers.
Tienda Diabetes is currently developing a mobile version of Farmacia Online, and SOHIN plans to expand its offerings to treat other chronic-degenerative diseases, addressing both public and private healthcare needs.