Just nine months ago, Laurel Hess launched hampr, an on-demand laundry service designed to take the stress out of busy families' lives. Who could have predicted the pandemic would hit the U. S. that same month and upend our normal way of life?

Laurel Hess joined Jan Swift of Discover Lafayette to discuss her newest endeavor, Presto Health, a prescription delivery service made possible via an investment by Ochsner Lafayette General's Healthcare Innovation Fund II. The service launched on the 1st of December, 2020, and delivers medications to the patient’s home or preferred destination upon their discharge from Ochsner Lafayette General urgent care centers, emergency rooms, clinics, and telemedicine visits held in Lafayette Parish. The service is offered at no cost to the patient.

In early March 2020, hampr's ideal client was a busy young mom with kids, who needed a break from the incessant laundry chores. By late March 2020, everything in the U. S. was shut down and the ideal demographic quickly shifted to the "young bachelor who needed help." At that same time, Ochsner Lafayette General's Cian Robinson (who has since moved on to McLeod Health in South Carolina) approached Hess to see if hampr could deliver prescriptions. Laurel recalls her first thought was "No, we're a laundry service." But she reexamined her platform and saw that they offered a "last mile delivery platform....we can deliver anything from A to B." We said, "Absolutely Yes!!"

Hampr's team duplicated its platform and was able to get it up and running in six months. Called "Presto Health," the new prescription delivery service is a division of hampr. Having to stay HIPAA certified, its drivers are W2 salaried employees, unlike the contract laundry service workers hampr utilizes.

Presto Health employees don't handle any personal health information on the patients they assist and are only given information as to the name of the patient and their address. "We are literally just a delivery platform," says Hess. Presto Health is notified by the pharmacy once a prescription is filled and paid for, and compensated per delivery on a volume-based scale. The service is currently operating in Lafayette Parish at this time and looks to expand into the broader Ochsner network statewide as well as other areas of the U. S.

With a focus on patient and delivery driver safety, health the patient is texted when the prescription has arrived at their home and there is no interpersonal interaction. There is no need to sign for acceptance of the delivery, but Presto Health workers take a photo to prove the delivery has been completed successfully.

Hospitals across the country are looking into similar prescription delivery programs, referred to as "Meds to Beds." With a big push on improving healthcare and patient outcomes, healthcare professionals are working to ensure that healthcare is delivered to people efficiently no matter where they are. It's always in the best interest of the hospitals to keep people on their prescribed medications to keep healthcare issues in check. Hess says, "A lot of people upon discharge from the hospital may not have access to a vehicle or may not be well enough to go pick up their medication. So making sure they stay on their prescribed medication is very important. It reduces recidivism rates for the hospital....so people aren't coming back with the same issue they just left with." Presto Health is the newest wave of healthcare reform.

Ochsner Lafayette General providers are aware of the program and our hope is to get the word out to patients who will benefit from this service.

To learn more about Oschner Lafayette General's Innovation Fund, visit https://www.lafayettegeneral.com/healthcare-innovation-fund.