Great News from Kroger

[fauxden]

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The largest supermarket chain in the USA has some great things happening at their pharmacies. My buddy works at Smiths. They have recently implemented a central fill option at their pharmacies where patients on maintenance meds sign a waiver and have all their meds filled automatically. The drugs are then checked at the central location and shipped to the store where the patients can just pick them up. How great is this? Think of all the man power they won't need to pay for.

 

[ValeRx]

The largest supermarket chain in the USA has some great things happening at their pharmacies. My buddy works at Smiths. They have recently implemented a central fill option at their pharmacies where patients on maintenance meds sign a waiver and have all their meds filled automatically. The drugs are then checked at the central location and shipped to the store where the patients can just pick them up. How great is this? Think of all the man power they won't need to pay for.

This is old news for us, they implemented AutoRefill a while ago. No noticeable changes at the store level, although Central Fill now cuts off at 4pm on Thursdays for the entire weekend.

 

[PharmaTope]

The largest supermarket chain in the USA has some great things happening at their pharmacies. My buddy works at Smiths. They have recently implemented a central fill option at their pharmacies where patients on maintenance meds sign a waiver and have all their meds filled automatically. The drugs are then checked at the central location and shipped to the store where the patients can just pick them up. How great is this? Think of all the man power they won't need to pay for.

this sounds really cool! now how many pharmacists will get laid off from this too?

 

[R2pharmD2]

This is old news for us, they implemented AutoRefill a while ago. No noticeable changes at the store level, although Central Fill now cuts off at 4pm on Thursdays for the entire weekend.

Same here.

 

[xtsukiyox]

this sounds really cool! now how many pharmacists will get laid off from this too?

My question would be - is the increase in volume of drugs autofilled (vs waiting for non-compliant patients to call it in) enough to offset the efficiency gained by moving the operations to an assembly-line type process?

If it does offset, that would be a net gain in work, ergo more pharmacists. If it's at least equal, it would just mean a shift of pharmacists to the autofill location (although the increase in business / efficiency would make higher profit margins that wouldn't be realized as man hours). Needless to say, if it doesn't offset, that's where man hours would be cut.

Anyone have any insight into this balance?

PS, I actually deleted "man hours" & typed "people hours" to be more PC for a second.

 

[Trent Steele]

The largest supermarket chain in the USA has some great things happening at their pharmacies. My buddy works at Smiths. They have recently implemented a central fill option at their pharmacies where patients on maintenance meds sign a waiver and have all their meds filled automatically. The drugs are then checked at the central location and shipped to the store where the patients can just pick them up. How great is this? Think of all the man power they won't need to pay for.

this is already being implemented in a huge way... my buddy working at wag sits in a chair all day and verifies orders via a camera... horrible job but they pay him quite well

 

[MountainPharmD]

The largest supermarket chain in the USA has some great things happening at their pharmacies. My buddy works at Smiths. They have recently implemented a central fill option at their pharmacies where patients on maintenance meds sign a waiver and have all their meds filled automatically. The drugs are then checked at the central location and shipped to the store where the patients can just pick them up. How great is this? Think of all the man power they won't need to pay for.

Kroger is headed the same way everyone else is. Thinking about all the money they could be making if they didn't have to pay all thoses pharmacists. Kroger will have central fill quietly rolled out everywhere as soon as they can.

In fact there are a lot of things Kroger is doing that look very similar to Walgreens project one.

 

[MountainPharmD]

this is already being implemented in a huge way... my buddy working at wag sits in a chair all day and verifies orders via a camera... horrible job but they pay him quite well

That's the way the profession is heading...to extinction. The delivery of a commodity as quickly and cheaply as possible.

 

[Filler]

That's the way the middle class is heading...to extinction. The delivery of a commodity as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Fixed it for you

 

[SHC1984]

this is already being implemented in a huge way... my buddy working at wag sits in a chair all day and verifies orders via a camera... horrible job but they pay him quite well

Horrible job? Let me have that job!

 

[Trent Steele]

Horrible job? Let me have that job!

you can have it! basically a human bar code scanner.... imagine being the machine in a factory. Thats how he put it at least.... you sure as hell dont need a pharmd to do that.