Will Manidis

Yeahhhh, times change. People don't want to leave their home (especially during the pandemic) and expect things delivered to them overnight. New startups like @altopharmacy @capsulecares @MedlyPharmacy @divvyDOSE or @getgiftHEALTH have taken advantage with same day delivery

But they're still hangstrung by Surescripts' limitations. They want doctors to know how fast they dispense/deliver, but fill status can't be sent back. They can't message the provider. They can't build the provider relationship directly and ensure more prescription traffic.

Those teleprescribers also don't want to do NCPDP. They want a nice RESTful JSON APIs their developers can play with. Several companies spun up to offer that and act as an on-ramp to the nationwide network (aka pulling a @stripe) @DrFirst @DoseSpot @BravadoHealth

Most got their start as a prescriber UI in the heyday of e-prescribing growth, but lost steam as EHRs' versions got better and better. Then with the wave of provider startups, APIs were demanded and smart prescriber UI companies pivoted.

Butttt.... Surescripts is still in the way. You can't overcome their network limitations (i.e. functionalities that haven't been rolled out) @truepill_rx, enter scene.

Truepill sidesteps the whole damn mess. They let companies go direct to their pharmacy fulfillment through a pretty dope API. This means they have full control of the provider relationship, aren't charged by Surescripts, and can build advanced functionalities Surescripts can't

New age provider startups love it. Same day delivery to meet emergent consumer needs, simple API, they've got it all. It'll be interesting to see if traditional EHRs adopt and integrate (I imagine not) but they service the rising class of virtual first care well.

If I'm any of the other new age pharmacy startups, I'm probably considering copying Truepill: offer a similar API route to increase margin, offer advanced functionality for providers, and have the direct relationship.