Reimagine retail pharmacy automation with solutions that have the smallest footprint, smallest cost, and biggest impact.
Company Background
McKesson Pharmacy Automation has long been a market leader in providing automation technology to retail and institutional pharmacies. With a reputation for providing unparalleled service — truly second to none — they lead the way in automating how patients receive medication, enabling faster and safer treatment.
How exactly do they deliver the best possible experience to pharmacies and their patients? It’s a precise mix of people, partners, and technology. First and foremost are the people. People who understand what it’s like to count pills or have their eyes go blurry from filling seemingly endless blister cards. People who understand the ins and outs of pharmacy. Their collective goal is to make every process within a pharmacy’s operation safer, more accurate, and as efficient as possible.
Partners are the next ingredient in the mix: creative and enterprising engineering firms, best-in-class manufacturers, and premiere shipping and logistics companies.
Adding the two together results in leading-edge technology that automates the repetitive and manual tasks that most commonly lead to medication errors.
Product Overview
• Large impact. Small footprint. Low cost.
When it comes to vial filling, CountAssist makes counting technology more accessible than ever before. Each compact cabinet contains 18 canisters, typically loaded with the pharmacy’s fastest moving products. All cells count individually, directly into their dedicated output chute. This means that multiple cells can count in conjunction, helping to minimize pharmacy wait times during a rush. Just one CountAssist cabinet can automate 35% of a pharmacy’s oral solid prescriptions, freeing up team members to focus on other value-added activities within the dispensary.
It’s common for pharmacies to install multiple CountAssist towers as the pharmacy’s prescription volume grows. Three towers automates up to 50% of oral solids, and that number increases with each tower — up to a maximum of 10 towers. Due to its compact design, it can be used as a bay end cap or simply mounted to the wall. There’s no end to the possible configurations. This technology can truly fit in any dispensary.
• Blister card preparation, verification and traceability.
When the team at McKesson Pharmacy Automation observed the extent to which pharmacists and technicians struggle with the tediousness of blister packaging and how easy it is for a pill to inadvertently end up in the wrong dosing slot, they knew there was a better solution. The idea for BlistAssist was born.
BlistAssist is a unique blister card production and verification unit ideal for small to medium-sized pharmacies that manually package blister cards. Stock bottle scanning and light guided filling ensure patients receive the right drug and dose, at the right time. There’s a simplified verification process that photographs each medication added to a blister card and provides a large, clear view of each cell’s contents. The verification images can be accessed from anywhere within the pharmacy network, allowing team members to complete verification from a computer or portable tablet, away from the distractions of a busy dispensary.
The average pharmacy has seen an increase in production efficiency, a drastic reduction in the number of fill errors (due to bottle scanning and light-guided filling), and an average reduction in verification time of 70%!
• Blister packaging is tedious. BlistMED helps.
One step up from BlistAssist is BlistMED, a cutting-edge solution designed to automate the labor-intensive process of packaging multi-dose blister cards.
At approximately the same depth as a standard counter and just over 3 feet wide, BlistMED provides a minimal footprint that is ideal for retail pharmacies. Add the capacity to dispense over 200 oral solid medications, including partial tablets, and it becomes clear that efficiency is at the core of BlistMED’s design. With a single operator, pharmacies can achieve an impressive packaging rate of 25 to 30 cards per hour, leading to a substantial boost in efficiency and productivity.
As the demand for automated medication packaging solutions continues to rise, BlistMED is poised to become an essential solution for pharmacies looking to optimize their operations.
Testimonial
“Since installing BlistAssist, we’ve experienced a drastic reduction in the time required to produce and verify blister cards. The software provides security by guiding users through each step of the process, ensuring that cards are filled quickly and, more importantly, correctly.’’ — James Dumont, Pharmacy Owner
Ordering Information
Don’t let limited space or budget hold you back. CountAssist, BlistAssist,and BlistMED are designed to fit your needs, scale with your goals, and help you thrive in a competitive industry. We’ll guide you through finding the right solution for your pharmacy. Get started at www.mckesson.ca/assistline.
