Amazon Pharmacy made a bold move in the healthcare industry by announcing the launch of prescription vending machines at One Medical clinics, starting in Los Angeles this December. These innovative kiosks, officially dubbed Amazon Pharmacy Kiosks, will let patients pick up their medications immediately after their doctor’s appointments, promising a level of speed and convenience rarely seen in traditional pharmacy settings.
How the Kiosks Work
After a care provider writes a prescription, patients can opt to have it sent directly to the on-site Amazon Pharmacy Kiosk. They then use their phones and the Amazon app to check out; medication is often ready in minutes.
Each kiosk is stocked with a variety of commonly prescribed medications—including antibiotics, inhalers, and blood pressure pills—and its inventory is tailored to suit the unique prescribing patterns of the specific clinic location.
For questions or consultations, patients can access a licensed pharmacist via video or phone directly from the clinic, closing the loop on care without the need for an extra pharmacy visit.
Core Features and Limitations
Using the Amazon app, patients are shown upfront costs, including available discounts and estimated insurance copays, before purchasing—offering transparency not always found at traditional pharmacies. Medications are dispensed in minutes post-appointment, reducing delay and improving medication adherence rates by eliminating the extra step of visiting off-site pharmacies.
Controlled substances and medicines that require refrigeration are not available through the kiosks, ensuring compliance and safety.
Why This Matters for the Industry
The launch comes at a time when U.S. pharmacy chains are under intense economic pressure—Rite Aid recently closed all its remaining stores, CVS has shuttered more than 1,000 sites since 2021, and Walgreens closed 500 stores in the past year.
Following Amazon’s 2018 $750 million purchase of PillPack, the founding of Amazon Pharmacy in 2020, and the acquisition of One Medical two years later, the kiosk rollout is the clearest indication yet of Amazon’s intent to transform the entire pharmacy and primary care landscape.
The Patient Experience: Simpler, Faster, More Transparent
By giving patients immediate access to medication on-site, Amazon is attacking a known gap in care—one where delays and inconvenience often mean prescriptions are never filled. This could have a significant impact on health outcomes as medication non-adherence is a common, chronic problem in the U.S.
The Amazon app lets users see all costs ahead of time and leverages pre-existing Amazon accounts, making the entire process feel familiar for millions of customers.
Limitations and Safeguards
The lack of controlled medications and refrigerated drugs means these kiosks won’t cover all needs, but they account for a wide swath of more common prescriptions like antibiotics and maintenance medications. The stock is based on doctors’ prescribing habits at each clinic, helping ensure medications are likely to meet real-time patient demand and not sit unused.
The integration with the Amazon app means only authorized pickups are allowed, and consultations are always available with licensed professionals.
The Broader Impact: Amazon’s Healthcare Vision
Since its acquisition of PillPack, Amazon has steadily grown its healthcare footprint, challenging static pharmacy experiences with Amazon Pharmacy and scaling primary care with One Medical. Now, with kiosks directly tied to patient visits, Amazon further collapses the gap between diagnosis and therapy, putting convenience, transparency, and mobile technology at the center of the experience.
What’s Next?
The program will launch in Los Angeles this December, with a quick rollout to more One Medical locations expected in the following months. As Amazon expands in healthcare, the success and scalability of these kiosks will be closely watched by medical providers, insurers, and competitors across the country.
Amazon is setting the bar for a seamless, patient-centric future, one pill and one app at a time. As the lines between tech and healthcare blur, patients, providers, and pharmacies everywhere will be following Amazon’s prescription for disruption.
