The rising concerns over preventable medical errors is one of the primary reasons for pharmacy automation to gain momentum in the healthcare sector. Providers are opting for pharmacy automation solutions in an attempt to facilitate better medication distribution and reduce to medical errors. thereby assuring greater patient safety. These systems are also known to help curb pharmacy costs, which help mitigate the increasing drug prices and reduced reimbursement. Furthermore, the increase in budgets of healthcare providers over the last few years have fueled the adoption of pharmacy automation systems in healthcare facilities. Infiniti’s healthcare industry experts are of the opinion that the trend for increased automation budget is expected to continue through the next five years. In this article, we walk you through some of the key benefits of pharmacy automation solutions.
Track inventory
In the US alone, hospitals and pharmacies lose billions of dollars annually due to expired or unused drugs or medications. Furthermore, keeping tabs on the inventory in hand can often prove to be a tedious and time consuming task when done manually. Pharmacy automation can help overcome such challenges by keeping track of medicines that are unused or nearing expiry date. Pharmacy automation also provides the opportunity for staff, for whom non-clinical work gets tedious and provides less satisfaction, to cater to more key tasks in patient care. Also, pharmacy automation solutions are designed to provide real-time visibility into inventory, helping providers understand accurate inventory levels and medication purchases can be optimized for actual need. It also facilitates identifying medication that are unused and these can be immediately transferred to higher-use locations to prevent wastage.
Greater patient safety
Patient safety is paramount for any healthcare provider. Studies show that robot accuracy in medication handling is greater when compared to human accuracy. This is helpful especially in a pediatric setting where any small amount of variation in medication becomes unacceptable and require precisely calibrated dosage. Reducing the number of human touchpoints by leveraging pharmacy automation systems can help healthcare providers mitigate dosage errors and achieve complete inventory control, thereby ensuring complete patient safety.
Enhanced process efficiency
In pharmacy automation, automated prescription dispensing systems select and package medications and dispenses pills individually. In most cases, the medication is barcoded to ensure that the prescription and patients are mapped accurately. Robotic dispensers can also be handy in incorporating systems that drive workflow and expediate processes to enhance efficiencies, resulting in reduced costs in one comprehensive pharmacy solution.
When considering automated solutions, providers must take into consideration these key factors:
