New PillVac machine at work

[owlegrad]

So we just got a PillVac machine at work and I have to say it is pretty cool. Now I realize we don't have that many LTC pharmacists around here but I am curious if anyone here has any experience with it or thoughts to share about it?

In case anyone is interested it is basically a vacuum that can be used to bubble pack medications, very helpful when that is all you do all day. Sort of like an MTS machine but cheaper and less skill required to operate. So far I love ours but I am curious what other people's experience has been with it.

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[Xenophylia]

I've used both TCG and PacMed; the software had a fairly steep leaning curve on both and had to interface with whatever LTC pharmacy software you used (Qs1 in both cases). And the machines are supposedly expensive as hell. Just the photon machine (which checks for discrepancies in the TCG generated pill paks) costs $80k by itself). The machines themselves are several hundred thousand a piece. We have 2 TCGs here and an older PacMed machine that we dont even use... Then there's the cost of the computers needed to run them, etc....

 

[mentos]

There's a pillvac where I work but everyone hates it so nobody uses it. That thing costs 80k? I wish they gave us raises or bonuses instead.

 

[owlegrad]

There's a pillvac where I work but everyone hates it so nobody uses it. That thing costs 80k? I wish they gave us raises or bonuses instead.

Nah PillVac is "only" about 14k or so. The systems Xeno is referring to are much more complicated.

I am curious why everyone hates it at your site? I have some techs that say they are "faster by hand" but literally every time trial we have done proves otherwise. But then they still don't want to use it. It frustrates me that people hate change so much lol

 

[owlegrad]

I've used both TCG and PacMed; the software had a fairly steep leaning curve on both and had to interface with whatever LTC pharmacy software you used (Qs1 in both cases). And the machines are supposedly expensive as hell. Just the photon machine (which checks for discrepancies in the TCG generated pill paks) costs $80k by itself). The machines themselves are several hundred thousand a piece. We have 2 TCGs here and an older PacMed machine that we dont even use... Then there's the cost of the computers needed to run them, etc....

We used to have a TCG system for automation. It was over 10 years old and on its last legs. I was so happy when we retired them, lol

 

[mentos]

Nah PillVac is "only" about 14k or so. The systems Xeno is referring to are much more complicated.

I am curious why everyone hates it at your site? I have some techs that say they are "faster by hand" but literally every time trial we have done proves otherwise. But then they still don't want to use it. It frustrates me that people hate change so much lol

Some of them complain about the noise but they're probably lazy. Why should they fill more than they have to? LoL.

 

[owlegrad]

Some of them complain about the noise but they're probably lazy. Why should they fill more than they have to? LoL.

Haha that’s what I think too. Fill more? God why? Or god forbid fill the same amount but in less time? Why would I want to do that?

I mostly get complaints about how heavy it is. The weird part to me is when I use it it feels like less work that doing it by hand but I guess if you are used to doing it by hand then anything else is more work, lol.

 

[Zynx]

In regards to expensive machinery, makes me think of the "Auto-Print" prepack machine we have. ~20k for this machine that prepacks, where the tech still has to babysit it and insert tablet by tablet into a rotating disc before it takes it and prepacks it.
Before this job we used a Word template to print some labels, and then insert tablet by tablet into a blisterpack.

So essentially, still having to insert tablet by tablet (no time save), at the cost of ~20k for a machine that frequently gets misaligned and causes its own issues.

Sometimes I wonder about getting into the business of these types of machines, seems like good money.

 

[Xenophylia]

The PacMed machines and TCG are VERY complicated. You need an engineering degree just to change the packing material in the PacMed machine. Last I heard, the PacMed machine was over $250k with an additional 80k for the machine needed to check the rolls. That's the kind of nonsense which gets LTC business though. Nurses are easily impressed by bright, shiny objects-the blister packed meds do look pretty slick. And no one thinks to ask what happens if a med changes mid cycle.....