Cleveland Clinic and Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital are expanding the use of drones to speed the delivery of medications and lifesaving blood products, marking the latest push by health systems to incorporate autonomous technology into patient care.
Cleveland Clinic has launched what it says is the first long-term prescription medication drone delivery program by a U.S. health system, according to an Aug. 3 news release. The service currently delivers eligible prescriptions to patients within a 5-mile radius of the health system’s Beachwood Administrative Campus at no additional cost. Cleveland Clinic said it plans to expand the program to additional locations and eventually include lab samples, medically tailored meals and medical supplies.
Tampa General, meanwhile, plans to launch what it says is the nation’s first emergency medical services-driven drone delivery program for whole blood, according to an Aug. 3 news release. Developed in partnership with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine, the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services, OneBlood and Archer First Response Systems, the initiative is designed to deliver blood to trauma scenes in less than 3 minutes across a 70-square-mile area, allowing first responders to begin transfusions before patients reach the hospital.
The Tampa General program is expected to launch in October, pending approval by the Hillsborough County Commission on Sept. 2.
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