PHARMACY AUTOMATION BOOSTS EFFICIENCY FOR INDEPENDENT 2004-05-31 (1)

UHRICHSVILLE, Ohio -- Pharmacy automation is moving into the mainstream of store operations as prescription volume increases and the number of technicians and pharmacists decreases. A prescription-filling machine in a pharmacy can improve safety -- and allow pharmacists more time to interact with customers, according to industry observers.

a bar-coded label that also shows a picture of the medication as an added precaution for the customer.

Jo Mako, owner and pharmacist of the one-store operation, said the machine has opened up the pharmacy's time, allowing for a much more comfortable working environment. "Before, we were filling so many prescriptions a day that we were going crazy," said Mako. "We didn't have time to stop, to eat lunch, to do anything, except fill prescriptions for 10 hours a day."

The automated prescription-filling robot will often take the place of hiring another technician or pharmacist, and eliminates the need to work around another person's schedule. The machine doesn't take lunch, days off or a break, explained Mako.

"We could have hired another person to come in and help us," she said, "but we were already falling all over each other. This took the place of hiring someone."

Although the initial cost is substantial and not something she wanted to discuss, the return on investment will come within five years for Mako's Market. Hiring another technician at $14 an hour would have cost the same for that period of time, said Mako, and the machine is a much safer investment.

"We had bottles all over our counter before, which is just an accident waiting to happen, especially with multiple people working on one counter. This has improved our efficiency a lot," said Mako.

Pharmacy automation machines were not always so widely accepted. When the machines were first introduced in the late '90s, they were met with skepticism, said Mike Coughlin, president and chief executive officer of Scriptpro, Mission, Kan. That has since changed because of the greater number of prescriptions being filled and the need for accuracy with the many different prescriptions, he said. Scriptpro has between 200 and 300 pharmacy automation machines installed in supermarkets. Studies show that machines within pharmacies can reduce the amount of errors in the workflow by up to 50%, Coughlin said.

The machines can also increase business, both Mako and Coughlin asserted, because they improve efficiency and let the customer interact with the pharmacist more frequently. "Customers come into a pharmacy because they have medical or health issues and needs that they want to have satisfied," said Coughlin. "Most customers today are looking for more than just the prescription that the doctor gave them." Having a pharmacy automation machine allows the pharmacist to get out into the aisles with the customer, and help them decide what they need to buy to complement their prescription, thus driving sales higher, according to Coughlin.

"It has helped our accuracy. Customers are more satisfied and more likely to return," said Mako. "The pharmacist is freed up a little more. It has absolutely improved our operation."

Mako and Coughlin agreed that getting the pharmacist out on the floor to answer questions and interact with the customer will be a continuing trend.

"The robot frees the staff up to be more personal with the customers," said Coughlin. "The future is going to deliver more and more on the fact that pharmacists do not have to have their heads down, counting pills. They can now be medical professionals."

Mako noted that all of her pharmacists are much happier in their working environment after the addition of the machine. "It makes our life more enjoyable. Overall, we are very happy with it."