How Automation Powers Pharmacy

The burgeoning field of pharmacy automation seeks to alleviate the excessive fulfillment burdens placed on pharmacists by helping pharmacies take prescription fulfillment out of the store.

Due to the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists are facing unprecedented workload challenges. Not only are pharmacies overburdened due to labor shortages, the pharmacists who are working are expected to provide testing and immunizations, treat minor ailments, and connect with patients and insurers — on top of their prescription-filling responsibilities.

Excessive manual work — namely, the tasks required for prescription fulfillment — makes it harder for pharmacists to do their job to the best of their ability and not suffer symptoms of burnout. Given the expanding scope of their responsibilities, it is critical to ensure pharmacists have the time they need to deliver high-quality care to patients, and that includes in-depth patient consultations regarding medication therapy management. When they are stuck behind the scenes filling bottles, that becomes more difficult.

The burgeoning field of pharmacy automation seeks to alleviate the excessive fulfillment burdens placed on pharmacists by helping pharmacies take prescription fulfillment out of the store. Software-enabled pharmacy fulfillment and automation solutions can empower pharmacists to provide high-quality patient care by automating their low-value manual tasks.

From automated modular hardware to sophisticated counting and collation devices, the field of pharmacy automation is quickly expanding, providing pharmacies with an array of time and cost-saving solutions. Pharmacy automation does far more than enable central fill and increase throughput — it can empower pharmacists to provide top-notch patient care.

The future of pharmacy automation is bright: By automating laborious tasks, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can fulfill their respective roles to the best of their abilities. Automation has set the tone for high levels of productivity while helping to reduce symptoms of burnout, establishing automation as an essential component of the pharmacy industry now and beyond.

Contributor: Alecia Lashier, Chief Automation Officer and Executive Vice President, iA