Hydrocodone reclassification fuels sharp increase in demand for Kirby Lester tablet counters

Kirby Lester, a pharmacy automation provider, experienced a significant increase in demand for its KL1 and KL1Plus tablet counting devices during the month of October 2014. The nationwide spike in Kirby Lester automated counting device sales was directly related to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) reclassification of the widely prescribed hydrocodone combination products to Schedule II, say company officials. The DEA’s rescheduling took effect October 6. C-II drugs carry numerous restrictions to ensure safe handling, including a mandate to double-count every prescription before it reaches the patient and more stringent auditing and inventory control. Manual methods such as tray-and-spatula counting are proven to be slow, inaccurate (95% accurate at best) and untrackable, making Kirby Lester pharmacy automation an ideal solution for C-II dispensing and accounting, company officials add. Kirby Lester pill counters are designed with patented optic sensors to automatically count medications, which eliminates human inaccuracy and speeds the process of double-counts. The company’s latest model, the KL1Plus, also includes scan-verification software to prevent a patient from receiving the wrong medication, strength or quantity. The KL1Plus keeps a record of every dispensed order. “The October hydrocodone reclassification presents a new challenge to pharmacies that are already striving to improve their prescription fulfillment process.   The use of the KL1 and KL1Plus for double-counting purposes enables the pharmacy to quickly and efficiently verify that all Schedule II drugs are dispensed accurately,” says Dave Johnson, Kirby Lester’s vice president of sales.