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What You Should Know
- The Partnership: Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the U.S., has partnered with medical drone logistics startup Zipline to launch the nation’s largest hospital-based drone delivery network.
- The Scale & Timeline: At full scope, the health system expects to complete over 100,000 deliveries annually. The first flights will deploy in 2027 in the Charlotte, NC market, before expanding to Chicago, IL, Milwaukee, WI, and eventually rural areas of Georgia.
- The Clinical Use Cases: The network will operate on two distinct fronts. First, it will deliver prescriptions and home health supplies directly to patients’ doorsteps—a critical capability when local pharmacies are closed or patients are homebound. Second, it will swiftly transport lab specimens between hospitals and laboratories to drastically reduce testing turnaround times.
- The Technology: Zipline’s FAA-approved electric drones fly to their destination and hover 300 feet in the air. A tethered pod then descends to the ground to drop off the package. This system makes precise deliveries even in high winds and bad weather, all while remaining quiet enough to avoid disturbing neighborhoods.
