Ellis / Guides
Ellis calls your pharmacy for a refill
Ask for a refill, and Ellis telephones the pharmacy, asks for it, and writes down what the pharmacy said so the family can read it. Here is what happens on that call, what the family reads afterwards, and what Ellis will not do.
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What happens on the call
Once a refill has been asked for and confirmed, Ellis makes the telephone call, with an AI voice that speaks for Ellis. On the call, Ellis:
- Rings the pharmacy about a medicine the family has added, and asks for the refill
- Sits in the queue, so nobody in the family has to
- Gives the pharmacy the details it asks for, one at a time and only when asked: the name, date of birth, address and phone number, and the medicine and prescription details on file
- Writes down what the pharmacy said, for the family to read in the Ellis app
- Asks the prescriber’s office for a new prescription when the pharmacy says one is needed, and if the office agrees, asks the pharmacy again once it has had time to arrive
- Tells the family when a call needs a person, and gives them the number
An example call
Every pharmacy runs its calls a little differently. This is an illustration of the shape of one, with a made-up patient, medicine and pharmacy.
- Pharmacy: Pharmacy, how can I help?
- Ellis: Hi, I’m calling from Ellis about a prescription refill for Sam Taylor.
- Pharmacy: Sure. What’s the date of birth?
- Ellis: March fourth, 1948.
- Pharmacy: And which medication?
- Ellis: Lisinopril, ten milligrams.
- Pharmacy: One moment.
- Ellis waits while the pharmacist looks it up.
- Pharmacy: Okay, that’s been put through. It’ll be ready tomorrow after two.
- Ellis: Thanks very much. I’ll let the family know.
- The call ends, and Ellis writes down what the pharmacy said.
What the family reads afterwards
When the call ends, the family can read what was asked for, who Ellis rang, what they said, and what is still open. The older adult can see the same thing on their own phone.
Ellis called on behalf of Sam Taylor to request a prescription refill, and gave the date of birth and the medication when the pharmacy asked for them. The pharmacy put the refill through and said it will be ready tomorrow after two.
Ellis reports what the pharmacy actually said, rather than that it tried. It does not decide anything on the family’s behalf, and it cannot promise what the pharmacy has not.
The family is told when a call has a result that matters, such as the refill being ready, the pharmacy needing the doctor, or nobody being reachable.
No audio of the call is recorded or kept. Ellis keeps the written account for 90 days so the family can read it, then deletes it. The privacy policy sets out what is kept, and by whom.
When the answer is not a simple yes
- No refills left: Ellis asks the prescriber’s office for a new prescription. If the office agrees, Ellis asks the pharmacy again once it has had time to arrive.
- The pharmacy declines, or something needs a person to sort out: Ellis reports what it was told, and the family is given the number to call.
- The line is busy, or nobody answers: the family is told, so the request is not lost.
What Ellis will not do
- Ring without a yes. Before Ellis calls about a refill, it says who it is going to ring and what it will ask for, and waits.
- Call about a controlled medicine. It says so, rather than trying.
- Give medical advice. Anything about the medicine itself belongs with the pharmacist or the doctor.
- Read out everything on file. A pharmacy gets one detail at a time, and only when it asks.
- Pay for anything, order anything or agree to a cost. Collecting and paying for a prescription stays between the person and the pharmacy.
- Book, move or cancel an appointment.
- Decide for the family. Ellis reports what it was told, and it cannot override what a pharmacy or a doctor decides.
- Keep a recording. No audio of the call is recorded or kept.
- Call for help in an emergency. Ellis is not a medical device or a medical alert system.
Before the first call
Someone in the family sets Ellis up on their own phone: the medicine, the pharmacy, and the details a pharmacy asks for, which are the name, date of birth, address and phone number. Adding a medicine is their permission for Ellis to call about it.
Ellis does not connect to a pharmacy account or a health record. It knows what the family typed in and nothing more, so a wrong prescription number makes for a wrong call, and the details are worth checking once, carefully.
After that, a refill can be asked for out loud by the older adult in the Ellis app, in their own words, or by a family member from their own phone. It is the same call either way, and both can see how it went.
Not the same as asking a smart speaker
A smart speaker answers the person who asked it. Ellis talks to the pharmacy, then reports back what the pharmacy said. How the two compare, and what to check before trusting either with a prescription.