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A new CVS iPhone app aims to make shopping at the pharmacy less frustrating

If you've ever been frustrated while shopping at your local pharmacy, you're hardly alone — but now CVS has devised a plan to change that with it's new iPhone app.

Pharmacies often get disparaged as one of the most tedious places the average person has to put up with. Long lines, hidden prescription costs, and the highly inconvenient locked cabinets are hated by nearly everyone.

And, that probably includes your local pharmacy, too. That's why CVS is trying to change how you make your pharmacy run with its revamped CVS Health app.

Tilak Mandadi, CVS' executive vice president wants customers to have a better experience by eliminating the worst parts of going to the pharmacy. He's no stranger to addressing customer concerns: he's held roles at both MGM Resorts and Disney.

"Experience has been a consistent theme for me all along," Mandadi told The Wall Street Journal. "How do we optimize customer convenience and take out the stress and guesswork?"

The move isn't entirely altruistic. Research shows that companies that focus on improving customer experience see improved share prices and higher revenue growth.

This is important, as pharmacy chains nationwide haven't been keeping up with overall market growth. These changes could help CVS see growth where it previously stagnated.

The revamped experience includes cutting down on the time spent waiting in line. One way this has been addressed is by providing personalized barcodes for both prescription lookup and payment.

Customers will also be able to track their prescriptions for their whole family and see the cost upfront. This should save time and prevent sticker shock when you reach the register.

Two smartphones display the CVS Health app. One shows the CVS Health logo, the other shows MinuteClinic promotions with services like cold and flu relief. The CVS app

Currently, only users who are eligible members of Aetna and Caremark can utilize this feature, as CVS owns both companies. CVS hopes to provide the service to other insurers in the future.

Customers will also be able to schedule immunizations, including multi-shot scheduling and easy-to-find appointments.

Another feature being tested is the ability for CVS loyalty program members to open the much-maligned locked cabinets without tracking down a staff member. Ideally, this should also reduce the extra work placed on CVS staff members, as the chain faces staffing shortages nationwide.

Currently, the ability to unlock cabinets is being tested in three stores. Mandadi says that the test is going well, and hopes to expand to as many as 15 stores for the next phase of testing. The end goal, should the tests continue to go well, would be full-scale deployment.

CVS hopes to incentivize users to use the new app by providing other specialized features. Right now, it gives users the ability to read articles from Everyday Health or partake in guided meditations from Headspace.

There's also an AI-powered search that helps consumers locate products, services, and information from across CVS Health and select third-party content providers. This expands upon the AI-powered chat experience that CVS rolled out in 2024, allowing patients to check medication refills, the status of their orders, and more.

CVS Health app is compatible with any iPhone running iOS 16 or later, as well as the Apple Vision Pro running visionOS 1.0 or later.



9 Comments

charlesn 12 Years · 1298 comments

Sounds like a fine idea but, as they say, the devil is in the details. Verbatim true story from CVS at the pharmacy counter the other night with a customer I was standing behind who was using the iPhone app:

Cust: Hi, I'm trying to find out what's happening with my prescription. I really need it, your app says you've been "working on it" for three days but it's still not ready for pickup? No one ever answers the phone when I call, so I came in. What's happening?

CVS: (checking computer screen) Oh, your insurance company didn't approve it, so now we're waiting for your doctor to call us back with more information, so we can call the insurance company and try to get approval. 

Cust: But the prescription WAS approved. 

CVS: I'm sorry, sir, no it wasn't.

Cust: (holding up phone) But look, it says it was approved. 

CVS: I'm sorry, sir, but I can't go by something you have on your phone. 

Cust: But this is YOUR app that's saying it's approved. Look--it's the CVS app and it says "Approved." 

CVS: Well we have no way of confirming that here. 

Ugh. We've all ended up in conversations like this at one time or another and it truly is a special level of hell. 

3 Likes · 0 Dislikes
mikethemartian 19 Years · 1532 comments

So basically a vending machine.

0 Likes · 1 Dislike
MplsP 9 Years · 4056 comments

CVS is the worst. I suppose they'll give you 48 screens of digital receipt to scroll through before you can hit 'ok?'

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes
mattinoz 10 Years · 2543 comments

Maps will give you the location of less frustrating chemists.

holycow 9 Years · 21 comments

The personalized barcodes and prescription tracking could save a lot of time, and the ability to schedule immunizations or even unlock cabinets without staff help is a neat feature. It could make the whole process quicker and easier for everyone.

1 Like · 0 Dislikes