Nothing at all against pizza. We like pizza. It’s just that we’re a pharmacy. It should be crazy to expect to buy a pizza, frozen or otherwise, from a pharmacy.

Mednow is built on this radical idea: pharmacies and pharmacists should do pharmacy things like prioritizing patient care. Grocery stores should do grocery store things, like selling frozen pizza.

If you can’t be bothered to read on, we respect that. Try the Mednow app (browser app | Apple app | Android app) to experience the Mednow difference for yourself. 

The neighbourhood pharmacy online

People see their pharmacist 10 times more than they see a doctor. At the same time, 45% of people say they have no relationship with their pharmacist, based on a recent study into people’s pharmacy habits*. In the same study, only 18% knew their pharmacist’s name. Just 11% would ask advice from their pharmacist before seeing their doctor. 18% feel their pharmacist is aware of their medical history. 

That’s a big disconnect.

These are some of the findings of a survey sponsored by Mednow and undertaken by Maru Public Opinion from February 26 and March 14, 2022, of 2,564 randomly selected Canadian adults aged 25 or older who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists.  For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 1.9%, 19 times out of 20. The detailed tables can be found at Canadian Public Opinion Polls | Maru Group

Mednow is a pharmacy, built by pharmacists. Our whole reason for being is to connect the people of Canada with the best pharmacy care to live their healthiest lives. The way it used to be, before people’s relationship with their pharmacy became transactional.

Mednow has all your pharmacy needs covered

• Caring pharmacists
• Prescription dispensing
• Over the counter medications
• Insurance and drug plan coordination
• Prescribing refills of certain medications
• Diabetes meds and supplies

We do all the things a licensed Canadian pharmacy is required to do:

• Employ licensed Canadian pharmacists to lead our pharmacy operations.
• Maintain private, secure records in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
• Pass the rigorous accreditation process in every province and territory we operate in.

We do a bunch of things we believe a pharmacy should do

• Make it easy to access caring pharmacists for advice and information.
• Deliver prescriptions to your door free, often the same day.
• Offer virtual appointments with Canadian doctors and other clinicians who can diagnose, refer and prescribe.

We also do stuff you maybe never expected from a pharmacy:

• Private medication review, whether you’re a customer or not
• 1:1 diabetes care with certified diabetes educators
• An in-house, physician-led lifestyle medicine program that treats the underlying cause of disease, not just the symptoms.

A stalemate

It used to be that a pharmacy was a pharmacy and a grocery store was a grocery store. Then things got weird. Grocery stores added mini pharmacies. You could pick up your prescriptions while picking up your frozen pizza.

Pharmacies countered, adding mini grocery stores so you could pick up a frozen pizza while picking up your prescriptions.

It’s obviously a convenience play; people need groceries. People need prescriptions. Given that convenience (i.e. proximity) is the first thing people look for in a pharmacy, it makes a degree of sense. 

What’s gained in convenience is lost in the important and personal pharmacist/patient relationship. In the grocery store / pharmacy stalemate, it’s pharmacists and patients that lose out. 

When the focus is on the what of pharmacy, we lose the why.

Pharmacists are not pill-pushers. They’re frontline healthcare workers whose primary concern is patient care. Pharmacies becoming grocery stores and grocery stores adding pharmacies, we risk distilling pharmacy to its most basic function: dispensing medication.

The Mednow difference

Mednow does pharmacy different. Which is kind of the way it used to be when neighbourhood pharmacies were the norm. By focusing on pharmacy and the individual patient relationship, Mednow pharmacists are empowered to put people first. In fact, “people, not pills” is one of Mednow’s core values.

Mednow pharmacists have the freedom and support to go the extra mile, taking the time to speak with patients about their medication. They do free Medication Reviews (whether you’re a customer or not) and can offer expert advice on dosage, interactions and can even arm you with the right questions to ask the next time you speak to your doctor.

To the convenience point. Sure, pizza in the same place as over the counter antacids or prescription acid reflux medication might be convenient. You know what’s more convenient? When the pharmacy runs to you instead of the other way around.

With Mednow, your prescriptions are delivered to you free, often the same day. And for the same dispensing fee your pharmacy-turned-grocery-store charges or grocery-store-turned-pharmacy charges.

Managing your prescriptions, including any refills, is as simple as opening the Mednow app. Speaking with your pharmacist is as easy as starting a chat or calling 1-855-MEDNOW-1. Booking a virtual doctor’s appointment is just as easy.

So, to summarize, Mednow offers: 

✅ A full service pharmacy in one easy to use app

✅ Caring pharmacists

✅ Competitive dispensing fees

✅ The same drug cost

✅ Fast, free prescription delivery

❌ Frozen pizza

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