The prescriber sends the prescription
A provider writes the prescription in their own system and sends it to the pharmacy over the usual electronic channels: Surescripts, Epic and the like. Nothing about this step is specific to Medifriend.
The pharmacy reviews it and sends it to MedifriendRx
The pharmacy does what it always does: clinical review, insurance adjudication, and setting the patient's copay. Its pharmacy system then sends the prescription to MedifriendRx through its integration.
Each prescription arrives with its patient, prescriber, drug (by NDC) and quantity, its fill number and its copay.
MedifriendRx routes it to a kiosk
MedifriendRx routes the prescription to the kiosk it references. When the same patient has several prescriptions going to the same kiosk, they are grouped into one fulfillment, so the patient picks them all up, pays and signs once.
All of this happens the moment the prescription arrives, in the same request: routing, grouping, and the pairing described next.
The kiosk pairs a container and labels it
If the kiosk has the medication, matching both the NDC and the quantity of the prescription, a container is paired with it as a dispense attempt.
The kiosk then labels the container straight away, printing the prescription label onto it, without waiting for the patient. Labelling optimistically gives the pharmacist's review the chance to finish before the patient arrives.
A pharmacist reviews each labelled container
Each labelled dispense attempt appears in the pharmacist portal under Dispense Attempts. The pharmacist checks the printed label and the container against the prescription, then approves or rejects it.
Every decision is signed: the portal asks the pharmacist to scan their badge before it records the review, and the review is kept with the pharmacist's name and any note.
Rejecting asks whether the container, the prescription, or both are at fault, so the right thing is fixed: relabel or restock, or go back to the pharmacy.
The patient can only continue once every dispense attempt in their fulfillment has been approved.
The patient checks in at the kiosk
Patients with prescriptions ready are listed on the kiosk by shortened name. The patient taps theirs and enters their date of birth; only once it matches does the kiosk show their full name and prescriptions.
First-time patients sign the MedifriendRx agreement and the pharmacy's privacy acknowledgement on screen. Signatures already on file are skipped.
They choose, then call a pharmacist
For each approved prescription the patient chooses Pick Up or Decline. An order summary totals the copays.
Next comes the consultation with a pharmacist, over audio and video at the kiosk. It is mandatory for new prescriptions, even if only to say "I don't want a consultation", and offered for refills, where the patient can skip it. It comes before payment because a consultation often changes what the patient decides to take, and sometimes leads the pharmacy to change the price.
Pharmacies can also offer delivery or transfer. No pharmacy uses those options today, so they aren't shown here.
A pharmacist answers and consults
The kiosk's call rings for the pharmacy's pharmacists in the portal's notification pane. The first to answer takes it, scanning their badge so the consultation is recorded under their name.
The portal opens the kiosk's Interact page: the patient on video, their fulfillment at the top of the kiosk's list with the screen they're on, and the patient's and prescriber's details. Ending the call records the consultation and moves the kiosk on.
After the call, they pay
Once the pharmacist ends the call, the kiosk moves on to payment: by card at the reader, or by whatever other methods the pharmacy accepts. Last, the patient chooses whether their receipt is emailed, texted or printed, or skips it.
They sign, and the kiosk dispenses
The patient signs once more to confirm they are receiving the prescriptions on the receipt. The kiosk then retrieves each labelled container and drops it in the pickup bay, showing progress per prescription.
When everything is out, Finish returns the kiosk to its idle screen for the next patient.