Your Prescription is Ready! Get a Text Message when your Prescriptions are Ready for Pickup.

New text messaging service now available at Kaiser Permanente Central Valley pharmacies

As a part of its commitment to delivering excellent service, Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy Services is piloting a text notification system for customers who are picking up prescriptions from our outpatient pharmacies.

This text messaging service is completely confidential and is only being used to notify members for the specific prescription order that they are picking up that day. The message being sent will state that the order is ready. The member can then go directly to the pick-up line at the pharmacy.

Providing cell phone text messaging of prescription order status reduces customers’ reliance on the display boards in the Pharmacy waiting area. The text notification service allows customers to leave the pharmacy waiting area and take care of other needs that they may have.

Because this is a pilot project at the pharmacy, this service is being offered on a prescription-by-prescription basis.

The cell phone number provided is not being stored as a part of the member’s medical record to maintain their privacy. According to Alan Kersey, PharmD, Area Pharmacy Director, each separate prescription order will require registering for text messaging service for each order. However, if someone is picking up several prescriptions at the same time, they are combined into one batched order—a text message will be sent when they are all ready.

“While this may change in the future, we are taking this approach to ensure we learn how to offer this service in the best way possible,” said Kersey. “It’s a reflection of how Pharmacy Services is to keeping the member at the center of everything we do.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  Will these messages count against the number of text messages in my messaging plan?

A:  Yes. This service generates a standard text message to your cell phone and depending on your messaging plan, standard charges may apply.

Q:  If I use this text messaging service, will I start to receive unwanted text message solicitations?

A:  No. The cell phone number you provided is for a one-time use only for the specific prescription order that you came to pick up today. The text message you receive will come from “KP.Pharmacy.Messenger.”

Your cell phone number is not being added to your medical record nor used for any other purpose than to send you a text message about the prescription order status.

Q:  I provided my cell phone number, but never received a text message letting me know when my prescription was ready. Why?

A:  There are a number of issues that can arise when using any text messaging service, and they are beyond our control. Examples include cell phone signal “dead spots,” cell network disruptions, and Internet service disruptions.

The text messaging service is intended to enhance our primary notification process, which is the use of the electronic message board in the pharmacy waiting area. This is why your name will still be displayed on the status board when your prescription is ready, even if you choose to use the text notification service.

If you did not receive a text message after choosing to use the service, please let us know. The purpose of this pilot project is to assess its reliability and effectiveness in enhancing the customer experience. Based on this information, we will evaluate the system’s capabilities and ensure it meets our standards of quality and service.