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Modest_anteater

Walgreens @ Austin, Texas.
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In this day and age, convenience is key and that's why one Valley medical center is evolving to make filling your prescriptions even faster.

Medavail Technologies has created what's basically a vending machine for medications. Forty locations are planned for installation around Arizona.

You get your prescription in the form of a QR code, like a boarding pass. You scan your barcode, enter a pin number for security that will be verified every time, and you even get the option to speak with a pharmacist using video chat. That pharmacist also verifies each bottle of pills, getting a snapshot from the kiosk before it's released....
The kiosk is stocked with over 700 medications and that can change with the clinic based on the trends they see with patients.

Next in the works is a drive-up kiosk that would be similar to a drive-up ATM.

Dozens of pharmacy kiosks planned in Arizona

This along with Amazon will lead to a reduction in pharmacist jobs by at least 80%.

Members don't see this ad.
 
lol damn...shts about to get real
 
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Members don't see this ad :)
The vending machines can replace some aspects of the job like putting pills in a bottle, bagging it, and selling it. But those are mostly technician jobs anyways.
 
The vending machines can replace some aspects of the job like putting pills in a bottle, bagging it, and selling it. But those are mostly technician jobs anyways.

There isn’t going to be one pharmacist per kiosk though...
 
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Who is going to bill insurance? How will it parse the many mistakes of e-prescribing? Narcotics?

I see this working for the easiest of all prescriptions, mostly abx, maybe a select few maintenance meds. I don't see this replacing a significant number of pharmacist jobs.
 
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The vending machines can replace some aspects of the job like putting pills in a bottle, bagging it, and selling it. But those are mostly technician jobs anyways.
Someone still has to do that though. It's just now it would get loaded into a vending machine first and the machine handles the sale.
 
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This is the easiest cheapest crap they will keep in these things. When it can't fill it, guess what, you're going to a pharmacy. Just like how mail order was supposed to change everything, and yet I keep bailing people out that mail order failed. There's a reason people go to retail chains, they're so damn convenient and you can get whatever you want as long as you complain enough. I'm going to love seeing the 65+ crowd try yelling at an inanimate metal box. But, hopefully the days of retail will end this time, like was promised so many times before. I've been considering a change in pace, anyways.
 
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What’s stopping the oxy addicts from wrapping a chain around this kiosk and towing it away with a truck? They didn’t mention controls but it seems like an easy break in opportunity just waiting to happen.

Also, considering a pharmacist still verifies it and what not... this is a job that could be done from home. Doesn’t sound like something that will replace or take away our jobs (technicians maybe).


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Who is going to stock the machine?
Is it going to be one solo person with no one checking their work?

I can't wait until one of these things dispenses the wrong med to someone
Why not 90%?

Also, is this humble sloth, or is the name similarity purely coincidental?
Hahaha, Holy crepe.

It is him, isn't it.
 
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Safeway tried a version of this in 2010ish in Colorado. These kiosks were kept in the store and allowed patients to pick up their prescriptions both during and after hours. The prescriptions still had to be processed, billed, and dispensed by the pharmacy. This was almost a decade ago now, so I’m sure there are some advancements with the technology. It failed miserably, though. I think it only lasted about six months.

People want to get it from their pharmacy. Just like mail order, the only way this has a chance of being successful is if they force their customers to use these thing without any other options. As long as they can still come and get it from the pharmacy, they will.




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Um...so.... Most retail pharmacists verify and review prescriptions then counsel. A kiosk changes the game completely because now pharmacists will have to.....verify and review prescriptions then counsel. Wait a second.... How does this cause jobs to be lost?????

Oh and thank you for citing your webpage.

What happens when they have caremark insurance and have to use mail order or go to CVS?
 
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Members don't see this ad :)
Do kiosk accept discount card? manufacturer coupons?
 
Um...so.... Most retail pharmacists verify and review prescriptions then counsel. A kiosk changes the game completely because now pharmacists will have to.....verify and review prescriptions then counsel. Wait a second.... How does this cause jobs to be lost?????

Oh and thank you for citing your webpage.

What happens when they have caremark insurance and have to use mail order or go to CVS?

So you don't see how this would consolidate jobs at all? How many kiosks do you think one pharmacist could cover, assuming the patient might have to wait say up to 10 minutes to speak to a pharmacist via video conferencing? Meanwhile how many stores can one pharmacist supervise? I am betting it is something like 20 kiosks vs 1 store.
 
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So you don't see how this would consolidate jobs at all? How many kiosks do you think one pharmacist could cover, assuming the patient might have to wait say up to 10 minutes to speak to a pharmacist via video conferencing? Meanwhile how many stores can one pharmacist supervise? I am betting it is something like 20 kiosks vs 1 store.

How many scripts is this one pharmacist reviewing? I'm thinking of it in terms of prescriptions not stores. How big are these clinics?

Assuming a pharmacist doesn't look at more then 600 scripts per shift ( use whatever number fits there) how many would each kiosk produce? Is it enough to close a retail store? Insurance is also key.
 
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How many scripts is this one pharmacist reviewing? I'm thinking of it in terms of prescriptions not stores. How big are these clinics?

Assuming a pharmacist doesn't look at more then 600 scripts per shift ( use whatever number fits there) how many would each kiosk produce? Is it enough to close a retail store? Insurance is also key.

But some stores do 100 a day vs others that do 400 with one pharmacist. Kiosks would average that out so that each pharmacist is being maximumly productive.

It would have to reduce cost or else it would be pointless. There would be some cost savings from eliminating techs and reducing rent (mitigated by the cost of the technology?) but the obvious huge savings come from reducing RPh labor cost.

You can’t possibly believe that it would take the same number of pharmacists if you could average the workload across all pharmacy locations.
 
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But some stores do 100 a day vs others that do 400 with one pharmacist. Kiosks would average that out so that each pharmacist is being maximumly productive.

It would have to reduce cost or else it would be pointless. There would be some cost savings from eliminating techs and reducing rent (mitigated by the cost of the technology?) but the obvious huge savings come from reducing RPh labor cost.

You can’t possibly believe that it would take the same number of pharmacists if you could average the workload across all pharmacy locations.

I'm looking at it solely from numbers. If a pharmacy solely relies on this clinic, sure it would close but I don't know anything about this clinic. It might see customers that go to 10 different pharmacies so it might lower script count by what 60 per day? Sure it sucks but this place won't cause jobs to be lost.

I don't actually think it will work though unless they show how insurance will be processed.

I also don't think most places want to be in the pharmacy business so it won't expand.
 
I'm not afraid of this company at all. If we could be replaced by machines, CVS and Wags would have been the first to do it.
 
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in the future patients will go to little kiosks to get their non controlled medication. lisinopril, atorvastatin, etc. instant dispensing of medication from a machine

all controls will be dispensed in what we know now as "pharmacies". but these "pharmacies" will be little cages that contain controlled meds and 1 cash register with 1 pharmacist working 12 hours a day rotating with another pharmacist for 24 hour store coverage

and that my friends is the future of pharmacy as we know it. effectively decreasing the job position of pharmacist by 80%. leaving only the top 20% to keep their job. 80/20 rule
 
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I feel like most people (especially older generation) come to the pharmacy to chat rather than pick up medicine, so not sure how they would buy into this.
 
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I don't know if it will be kiosks or same-day delivery from flying or driving drones, but eventually something will disrupt the retail model. It is way too inefficient and younger people prefer dealing with computers rather than people most of the time.
 
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http://www.bain.com/Images/BAIN_REPORT_Labor_2030.pdf

These changes may happen faster than you think. Rules will be changed to facilitate the agenda. The whole supply chain will be disrupted. Care will be standardized. Narcs could easily be barcoded/RFID by UD. No need to have a RPH for C2s. It will happen. Welcome to the Fourth Turning, little chickies. Enter the Thunderdome.
Thunderdome-998x663.jpg
 
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Walgreens has already been trialing this for the past few years. It's made by the same company MedAvail.

Walgreens Pharmacy Kiosk | Walgreens

They tried this I think in one of the newer stores in my district a few years ago and it failed horribly. This store had a RPH station outside the pharmacy and the pharmacist checks scripts via a camera with techs inside holding up the vials and pills.
 
The vending machines can replace some aspects of the job like putting pills in a bottle, bagging it, and selling it. But those are mostly technician jobs anyways.
The vending machine can also do inventory and counsel and screen and document patient information. I could see maybe 3 pharmacists being needed for these 40 locations just to counsel. Now a in demand job would be how to stock the machines.
 
What’s stopping the oxy addicts from wrapping a chain around this kiosk and towing it away with a truck? They didn’t mention controls but it seems like an easy break in opportunity just waiting to happen.

Also, considering a pharmacist still verifies it and what not... this is a job that could be done from home. Doesn’t sound like something that will replace or take away our jobs (technicians maybe).


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

The same thing that stops the opiate dependent individuals from robbing a pharmacy for oxycodone... Nothing. At least when they rob a machine there is zero risk of someone getting hurt which reduces a corporations liability. Not to mention skyrocketing payroll for labor. The real question is, how can i invest in the company making these machines.
 
Um...so.... Most retail pharmacists verify and review prescriptions then counsel. A kiosk changes the game completely because now pharmacists will have to.....verify and review prescriptions then counsel. Wait a second.... How does this cause jobs to be lost?????

Oh and thank you for citing your webpage.

What happens when they have caremark insurance and have to use mail order or go to CVS?
It changes it because one pharmacist can provide virtual counseling through a LCD monitor in the kiosk to 50 different machines. "Please wait for the next available pharmacist to conseul you" "Hello I'm Fred. I will be your virtual pharmacist today. I see you have indicated you would like more information on your Viagra"
 
The same thing that stops the opiate dependent individuals from robbing a pharmacy for oxycodone... Nothing. At least when they rob a machine there is zero risk of someone getting hurt which reduces a corporations liability. Not to mention skyrocketing payroll for labor. The real question is, how can i invest in the company making these machines.

Good idea. Don't fight it, invest in it. If I made my own it would be called "pill pusher". The outside of it would be painted like a norman rockwell painting of an old fashioned pharmacy. They wouldn't need a speaker/microphone for counseling just one for complaints which could be fielded by the same folks who do customer service for cricket wireless. I would't even bother to put it inside a brick and mortar store so money could be saved on staffing.
 
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in the future patients will go to little kiosks to get their non controlled medication. lisinopril, atorvastatin, etc. instant dispensing of medication from a machine

all controls will be dispensed in what we know now as "pharmacies". but these "pharmacies" will be little cages that contain controlled meds and 1 cash register with 1 pharmacist working 12 hours a day rotating with another pharmacist for 24 hour store coverage

and that my friends is the future of pharmacy as we know it. effectively decreasing the job position of pharmacist by 80%. leaving only the top 20% to keep their job. 80/20 rule

They could house these new "controlled substance" pharmacies in banks so they wouldn't have to pay extra security.
 
I feel like most people (especially older generation) come to the pharmacy to chat rather than pick up medicine, so not sure how they would buy into this.
It's for the next generation that has anxiety and hates talking to people. Aka the amazon ship-to-me, taskrabbit never have to leave the house generation. This demographic does not talk on the phone because it's awkward and they avoid strangers like the plague. Pharmacy kiosks will be perfect for them.
 
Good idea. Don't fight it, invest in it. If I made my own it would be called "pill pusher". The outside of it would be painted like a norman rockwell painting of an old fashioned pharmacy. They wouldn't need a speaker/microphone for counseling just one for complaints which could be fielded by the same folks who do customer service for cricket wireless. I would't even bother to put it inside a brick and mortar store so money could be saved on staffing.

Great idea. Cricket has excellent customer service. I switched from Straight Talk to Cricket and have been very happy. 3 lines unlimited for $90/mo, great ATT service and refills are often on sale for 10-15% off at Best Buy or Target.
 
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Too many variables involved, this will fail miserably as it has in the past. However, this can be useful for those in rural areas on chronic meds.
 
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Great idea. Cricket has excellent customer service. I switched from Straight Talk to Cricket and have been very happy. 3 lines unlimited for $90/mo, great ATT service and refills are often on sale for 10-15% off at Best Buy or Target.

Reported for advertisement. Expect a ban soon.
 
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So this will require doctor's offices to give the script as a QR code? This will fail because the doctor's office wont even give out the script in the correct way to even go to the kiosk.
 
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It changes it because one pharmacist can provide virtual counseling through a LCD monitor in the kiosk to 50 different machines. "Please wait for the next available pharmacist to conseul you" "Hello I'm Fred. I will be your virtual pharmacist today. I see you have indicated you would like more information on your Viagra"

Like i said before, the pharmacist is still reviewing and counseling so unless the pharmacist has to do this even quicker then they already are, this will only add jobs not hurt.

Just think about it, say a pharmacy does 500 per day and they lose a ton of prescriptions, we'll say around 100, that pharmacy will still be open so no jobs lost.

Someone needs to answer the insurance question, who will be doing it and will they be contracted with every insurance including caremark?
 
They tried this I think in one of the newer stores in my district a few years ago and it failed horribly. This store had a RPH station outside the pharmacy and the pharmacist checks scripts via a camera with techs inside holding up the vials and pills.
That sounds like the "Well Experience" stores. This is something different. The prescriptions get entered, reviewed by a RPh, and insurance rejects resolved remotely. All the medications are packaged into unit of use containers of common quantities like #30 or #90. If the Rx is for a different quantity, you're SOL so it helps to get the prescribers on board with what's stocked in the machine. They are barcoded so the machine knows what gets loaded, and what to dispense. Then, depending on state law, the pharmacist is available by video conference to counsel the patient.
 
That sounds like the "Well Experience" stores. This is something different. The prescriptions get entered, reviewed by a RPh, and insurance rejects resolved remotely. All the medications are packaged into unit of use containers of common quantities like #30 or #90. If the Rx is for a different quantity, you're SOL so it helps to get the prescribers on board with what's stocked in the machine. They are barcoded so the machine knows what gets loaded, and what to dispense. Then, depending on state law, the pharmacist is available by video conference to counsel the patient.
So you scan your insurance card at the machine and then someone remotely runs it? How does this save any time then for the patients? If you have to do literally every step in front of this machine instead in front of the pharmacy counter except the "put pills in bottle" step how does this save significant amounts of time?

I get that this can make pharmacist time use more efficient by covering wider areas, but I still don't see it revolutionizing the experience for patients.
 
Reported for advertisement. Expect a ban soon.

LoL people can "advertise" which for-profit pharmacy school to go to, which bank to refinance with, what credit card to get, which brokerage firm is best, which insurance they recommend, what car they drive, what movie they like, what phone they use... But taking about which prepaid cell plan you like (without a referral link) gets you banned?
 
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LoL people can "advertise" which for-profit pharmacy school to go to, which bank to refinance with, what credit card to get, which brokerage firm is best, which insurance they recommend, what car they drive, what movie they like, what phone they use... But taking about which prepaid cell plan you like (without a referral link) gets you banned?

Why do the moderators allow all this advertisement? Crazy.
 
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All this talk about how young people want to deal with machines and not other people, ignores the fact that young people don't take medications (other than opiods and stimulants which won't be stocked in these machines.) Old people, who are probably make up 75% of a pharmacies business HATE mail-order, and they HATE computers...the only thing they have more than either of these is the automated phone systems which they can never figure out. And people here think these these same people will cozy up to an automated kiosk? Maybe 20 years from now (assuming todays old people have died off....and that's a big assumption.) But for now, I don't see these kiosks taking off at all. Sure, there maybe a small, niche market for them, but the vast majority of pharmacy users aren't going to use them, just like they choose not to use mail-order.
 
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So you scan your insurance card at the machine and then someone remotely runs it? How does this save any time then for the patients? If you have to do literally every step in front of this machine instead in front of the pharmacy counter except the "put pills in bottle" step how does this save significant amounts of time?

I get that this can make pharmacist time use more efficient by covering wider areas, but I still don't see it revolutionizing the experience for patients.
Yes, there are techs and RPhs working these machines remotely on-demand so they are not as automated as some people think. I don't think the companies really care about revolutionizing the patient experience or saving the patient's time. It's primarily about minimizing labor costs by having each RPh covering as many machines as possible to get maximum productivity out of them.
 
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The flaw of this system is that is does not fix anything on the back side of the system. Yes, it will fill a bottle of pills faster because it is already filled, however, it is not going to run the patient's insurance any faster. What if the patient gets to the machine only to have the INS decline the Rx? What if the patient loses their bottle 3 days out or needs to get an early refill because they are going to Florida in 2 days for several weeks? Seriously, this will simply just remove some pharmacist jobs from chains because some scripts will be removed. However, just wait until CVS or WG or whoever offers a better deal than what the machine has. Who is going to deal with transferring the RX. How is this going to operate when every state does not have the same Rx laws and stipulations? How much closer will this machine be than the nearest pharmacy to the person, I mean would you be willing to drive an extra 5-10 minutes to deal with a machine that may or may not be able to solve your problem on site? These systems fail for the same reason people expect their Rx in 5 minutes, turns out putting the pills in the bottle is only a small percent of what we freaking do.
 
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"
ADVISORY NOTICE

AUTOMATED DISPENSING MACHINES

The New York State Department of Education (Department) has been made aware that pharmacy establishments have installed Automated Dispensing Machines (ADM) that store and provide prescription drugs for sale to customers outside of their respective registered pharmacy areas. The Department considers this to be a violation of state law.

As defined in Education Law §6802(1), a “pharmacy” means any place in which drugs, prescriptions or poisons are possessed for the purpose of compounding, preserving, dispensing or retailing, or in which drugs, prescriptions or poisons are compounded, preserved, dispensed or retailed, or in which such drugs, prescriptions or poisons are by advertising or otherwise offered for sale at retail.

Education Law §6808(1) prohibits an establishment from offering prescriptions drugs for retail sale unless properly registered by the Department as a pharmacy.

Pharmacy establishments located in New York must meet all requirements outlined in Title 8 NYCRR Part 63, Section 63.6.

Pharmacy establishments that operate these ADMs appear to be violating New York State law and may be subject to disciplinary and unprofessional conduct action.

Responsibility for compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to the conduct of a pharmacy is placed upon the ownership of the pharmacy and the Supervising Pharmacist."

Just read this on the NYS pharmacy website. Anyone know what they are referring? I imagine it's pharmacys in NYC that are trying to save man-hours by putting pharmaceutical vending machines outside their independents?
 
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