Diabetes kiosks enter Lovell Drugs stores
Miraculins in January announced that it will be commencing a pilot program with Lovell Drugs and Pear Healthcare Solutions that will see the placement of the first stand-alone Scout DS diabetes screening kiosks in Lovell’s retail pharmacy locations in Ontario beginning in February.
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This proof-of-concept pilot is being conducted to demonstrate that a stand-alone Scout DS diabetes screening kiosk set up inside a pharmacy location has the ability to not only deliver a rapid, non-invasive diabetes screening clinic, but can additionally generate a meaningful financial return on investment for the pharmacy. The company believes that the model it is developing will have application for retail pharmacy and pharmacy/grocery operations throughout North America, as well as for similar retail settings in Europe and other countries.
The kiosks will have the ability to screen eight to 10 customers per hour and will be in operation during the highest store traffic periods. Participants will receive free screenings during the pilot in exchange for completing a short consumer health questionnaire, which is delivered by touchscreen tablet in the time it takes to perform the Scout DS screening — about 90 seconds. In addition to their screening results, participants also will receive educational materials on diabetes and be given a recommendation to see their doctor for a follow-up consultation and confirmatory testing, if their score is elevated.
Specific ROI end points are being established for the pilot and will be measured against the screening participants in Ontario, according to Miraculins, including the identification and tracking of:
Undiagnosed prediabetic patients who are subsequently diagnosed by their doctors and can be converted into longterm customers of the pharmacy for preventive consultations and care, which can include prescriptions and other healthcare related products;
Undiagnosed Type 2 diabetic patients who are subsequently diagnosed by their doctors and can be converted into long-term customers for the pharmacy. Independent research has shown that diabetes patients spend an average of $6,000 per year on costs for treating their disease and that upward of $3,000 of this may be spent at the pharmacy, not including enhanced grocery buys in pharmacy/grocery settings;
Customers that may be eligible for government reimbursed services offered by the host pharmacy, such as medication reviews — if they are on more than three medications or confirmed to be diabetic — and smoking cessation programs;
Customers that fill their prescriptions at various pharmacies, who can be converted into single-store customers and consolidate their prescriptions at the new location; and
New customers who participate in the Scout DS clinic as a result of direct referrals from family and friends previously screened, or through print or radio advertising, who can be converted into ongoing, loyal customers at the host location.
The Scout DS is Health Canada cleared, has been CE-Marked to be compliant with European Union legislation, and the company is working with the Food and Drug Administration to establish a market pathway for the device in the United States.