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Mayo Clinic is looking to take its at-home care model to new heights with the assistance of autonomous drones capable of making same-day prescription deliveries. The Rochester-based hospital system recently signed an agreement with Zipline, the world's largest commercial drone delivery company, with the goal that medications could be delivered directly to patients' doorsteps beginning in 2025. "Anyone who has driven to a pharmacy while sick and contagious has wished for a better way to do things," said Jeff Williams, head of U.

S. operations for Zipline. "It's a far more convenient experience, and it makes care more accessible for everyone: from people without reliable transportation to folks who are just too busy to take on another errand.



" Mayo is among a growing number of health care providers, pharmacies, and retailers that have signed similar agreements with Zipline, which has been handling medical deliveries in Rwanda and other African countries since 2016. Among them is Mayo health care rival Cleveland Clinic, which announced a deal in the fall and also plans to begin using drones to deliver medications by 2025. The deals follow the rollout of Zipline's latest aircraft, the Platform 2 (P2) delivery drone, which is capable of reaching speeds up to 60 mph while carrying 6 to 8 pounds of weight.

For a patient living within a 10-mile radius of the provider, that could mean a delivery landing on their doorstep in 10 minutes or less. "Drone delivery is one example of our Bold.

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