Walgreens Rx Cost Advisor

 

2019

Walgreens Rx Cost Advisor is a program that helps patients find a lower-cost alternative to their current medication. This project was part of Walgreen's broader effort to be more transparent about medication costs. The patient will receive a text message informing them of the program, and within the flow, they are shown more affordable medications that are similar to their current drug. If the patient requests to switch, a request is sent to their doctor, and their doctor will choose the best option for them. The doctor's response is sent to the pharmacy, and the prescription status is managed within a pharmacy portal created for this program.

I was responsible for designing the patient experience and the pharmacy portal. I worked closely with the team from start to finish—including concept development,  design execution, design revisions based on customer research, and close collaboration with engineers as they build the product.

 
 
 

What are we solving?

 
 
 

DISCOVERY & RESEARCH

 

PATIENT INSIGHTS

  • Medication cost is a big pain point.

  • They feel that Walgreens’ prices are too high.

  • Oftentimes, patients will not fill their Rx if the cost is too high.

  • Patients respond most to SMS. It’s their preferred channel of communication. 

PHARMACIST INSIGHTS

  • Patients will ask pharmacists about cheapermedications if they are dissatisfied with thecost of their current medications.

  •  If patients are dissatisfied with the cost,pharmacists will recommend the patient talks to their doctor or the pharmacist willproactively call the doctor to ask about a moreaffordable medication options. 

 

SOLUTION

 
 
 
 

Invitation text message

Intro page

 

Lower cost options

How it works overlay

Submitted request success

 

Confirmation text

Verify birthdate

 

Awaiting approval

Approved text

Approved!

 
 

OUTCOMES

(Last updated Q4 2020)

FIRST RELEASED IN TEST MARKETS

We first released in Texas, Illinois, and Florida. 62% of patients who received the SMS requested to switch. At the end of 2020, they were working to add Rx Cost Advisor to the main Walgreens Rx hub along with launching the SMS-only experience to all markets. 

it made a big impact on Walgreen's product strategy. 

Rx Cost Advisor was the first product from Walgreens that addressed business goals around Rx pricing transparency. It convinced Walgreens leadership to lean into innovation.