Amazon Pharmacy is deploying self-service kiosks at select One Medical clinics to enable patients to collect their prescriptions minutes after their appointment reducing delays and improving adherence.
Glimpse:
Beginning December 2025, Amazon Pharmacy will install prescription kiosks in One Medical clinics in Los Angeles, stocking commonly prescribed nonrefrigerated meds like antibiotics, inhalers, and blood pressure drugs. Prescriptions are sent via the app or provider, verified by Amazon pharmacists, and dispensed via a QR scan all on the spot.
Amazon Pharmacy is evolving from a delivery-only model to include in-office kiosks that offer immediate access to prescribed medications at the point of care. This marks its first move into physical pick-up within clinics.
How It Works
The kiosks will be installed initially in select One Medical clinics in Los Angeles starting December 2025.
They will carry hundreds of commonly prescribed, non-refrigerated medications such as antibiotics, asthma inhalers, and blood pressure drugs. Controlled substances and refrigerated drugs are excluded.
After a doctor issues a prescription, it can be sent directly to Amazon Pharmacy via the app or EHR. Once approved, the patient receives a QR code which they scan at the kiosk to retrieve their medication.
Each kiosk is connected to Amazon’s backend pharmacy system. Licensed pharmacists can remotely validate the prescription and monitor dispensing via built-in CCTV and authentication systems.
If patients have questions, they can connect via phone or video to Amazon’s pharmacists directly from the kiosk or app.
The machines are designed to be secure tamper-resistant, anchored in place, with surveillance cameras, motion sensors, and dual authentication for dispensing.
Strategic Intent & Benefits
Reduce prescription delays & dropout: Amazon notes that many prescriptions go unfilled when patients must make a separate trip to a pharmacy. By bringing the medicine to the clinic itself, they hope to improve fill rates and adherence.
Lower logistics costs: For Amazon, reducing last-mile delivery burdens in dense urban markets could help optimize cost structures in high-demand areas.
Extend brand into physical care spaces: This initiative bridges Amazon’s digital pharmacy with physical care pathways, strengthening its role in integrated patient journeys.
Expand rollout plans: Though the pilot is in Los Angeles, Amazon intends to scale to additional One Medical clinics and explore partnerships with other care providers.
Risks & Challenges
Regulatory & licensing complexity: Dispensing medications on site still requires strict compliance with pharmacy rules, inspection regimes, and privacy laws.
Inventory management: Deciding which drugs to stock at each kiosk could be challenging given variability in local prescribing patterns.
Patient expectations & trust: Patients may be wary of new dispensing mechanisms and may prefer human interaction for certain prescriptions.
Technical robustness & error handling: Ensuring the system handles mis-scans, prescription mismatches, or QR failures without patient frustration will be critical.
“By bringing the pharmacy directly to the point of care, we’re removing a critical barrier many prescriptions never get filled because patients must make an extra stop,”
By
HB Team
