Robots in hospital pharmacy?

[#dental4life]

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Hey guys and gals! I have a quick question. Lately I've been surfing on YouTube and saw a video of a robot dispensing machine dispensing medicine at the pharmacy department of two U.S. Hospitals. I'm just wondering if you people that are clinical pharmacists have these machines at the place that you're working at and are these machines taking over our jobs anytime soon?

Any thought on this would be great, thanks 🙂


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[pharmasaur]

not at all. they are allowing pharmacists to do other things (more "clinical" things). also, the robot is only practical at extremely large hospitals. most hospitals dont have the volume or enough money to need a robot (i think ours cost $15 million???)

 

[#dental4life]

Yea they cost 15 millions dollars. Which hospital do u work at? Do you work at USC or whatever that place is called?

 

[confettiflyer]

I love the robotics and automation, makes my life and practice so much easier. No need to focus on physical products anymore. Just mostly clinical/consultative activities.

 

[#dental4life]

Well true, but it also leads to a lot of unemployment of pharmacy techs :/ so... It's not a win win situation.

 

[confettiflyer]

Well true, but it also leads to a lot of unemployment of pharmacy techs :/ so... It's not a win win situation.

I like my techs, but I'm not a pharmacy tech, so I get more of a gain from automation.

I've been through two different automation implementations and our staff requirements spike for a while during the transition. At the end of it, staff just gets shuffled around, if anything, it allows for system/census expansion without having to hire additional ancillary staff.

 

[#dental4life]

Yea. But like the poster above mentioned, rarely any hospitals could afford these machines as they are 15 million dollars O_O so i guess we're good to go. 😀

 

[confettiflyer]

We spent way less...depends on the institution size, plus it's capital and not operational, different processes here. If the numbers don't work and the CBA doesn't pan out, companies Swisslog, Carefusion, Omnicell, Cerner, etc... Would be out of business. Clearly they're not.

 

[#dental4life]

We spent way less...depends on the institution size, plus it's capital and not operational, different processes here. If the numbers don't work and the CBA doesn't pan out, companies Swisslog, Carefusion, Omnicell, Cerner, etc... Would be out of business. Clearly they're not.

I'm sure they make other products as well LOL

 

[confettiflyer]

I also have to throw in automation can increase captured charges and improve inventory management, though your inventory does tend to swell. If you can improve your inventory turns and increase revenue, it skews the numbers even more in favor of automation systems.