Originally Published PMPN November
2004
Case History
Automated System Simplifies Pharmacy Dispensing
Automating pharmacy
dispensing and bagging operations reduces staff and errors.
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| Automated Packaging designed this automated bagging mechanism for Cardinal Health’s new dispensing system. |
Thomas Tudor, manager of the machine automation group for Cardinal Health
Inc. (Philadelphia), had a unique challenge on his hands when he recently
began work on the company’s centralized pharmacy system. “Our customer
was taking an automated process and adding a manual step by removing individual
patient medications dispensed into a drawer and placing the medications in a
zip-lock bag,” says Tudor, who was in charge of engineering an upgrade
to the system. “They would take the printed label off the drawer and attach
it to the bag.”
Tudor’s solution? To use a bagging mechanism from Automated Packaging
Systems Inc. (Streetsboro, OH). The flexible, automated packaging system
turned out to be the perfect fit. “The new system dispenses the individual
patient’s medications into one printed bag that is sealed, instead of placing
the medications into multiple drawers,” says Tudor.
Cardinal’s integrated medication- dispensing system, Pyxis Homerus, is
designed to serve large central pharmacies supporting major health institutions.
Cardinal Health, with the support of Automated Packaging, developed the iBundle
portion of the Pyxis Homerus centralized pharmacy dispensing system. Pyxis Homerus
integrates medication storage, retrieval, unit-dose packaging, bar coding, and
delivery of patient medications into a complete system. The unit is networked
to a centralized computer system for individual patient information. Multitasking
capabilities enable packaging and dispensing to occur simultaneously while bar
code information is printed directly onto each individual Autobag poly bag.
A 24-hour supply of patient medications is then automatically collated into
a single bag. According to both companies, this new system eliminates the need
to manually fill delivery bags. It also effectively replaces the old pharmacy
cart that healthcare institutions used to push from room to room.
Tudor says that the Pyxis Homerus automated dispensing technology allows healthcare
providers to streamline their operations, reduce costs, and save time. It also
enables pharmacists to direct more energy toward clinical solutions, resulting
in high-quality patient care.
Cutting Costs
According to Tudor, one of the biggest benefits of the new automated system
is a significant reduction in the number of staff required to support a centralized
pharmacy operation. “Some customers have gone from eight or ten pharmacy
technicians down to two,” he says.
The system is capable of dispensing up to 1000 medications per hour and 20 medications
per bag. In addition, it can dispense up to 300 different medications total.
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| Cardinal Health’s new Pyxis Homerus centralized pharmacy dispensing system in action. |
As Tudor explains, the other major advantage of the system is a significant
reduction in costs. Most pharmacy orders are pulled overnight in a five- to
six-hour period, he says. Inventory costs are reduced and security issues are
enhanced with this automated procedure. Everything about the patient order is
pulled and packaged automatically, with comprehensive information stored in
the bar code and printed directly onto the poly bag package for enhanced security.
In addition, the in-line printing operation reduces costs by eliminating the
need for a separate label-printing and -insertion operation. Bags are sealed
with easy-open perforations on two sides to accommodate returns and restocking.
The bar code on the delivery bag also contains the patient ID number and can
be used for processing drug returns, according to Tudor.
Tudor says his biggest challenge in designing the Pyxis iBundle system was the
tight six-month timeframe he was given for development. “One of the biggest
reasons we went with Automated Packaging Systems was their expertise in providing
flexible, custom-engineered packaging solutions,” says Tudor. “The
custom engineering and integration group at Automated Packaging was great. They
are experienced experts who easily understood my application and worked closely
with me to provide a solution unique to my requirements. I knew their product
quality was excellent, and I was pleased to discover that their system integration
capabilities were outstanding.”
Doug Ellis, national marketing manager for Automated Packaging, explains that
modern technology allowed his organization to easily collaborate with Cardinal
to come up with an effective solution. “Cardinal Health came to us with
a unique integration challenge, and our custom engineering team was eager to
design a solution,” says Ellis. “New advances in firmware and software
enable unprecedented levels of flexibility for cost-effective, customized solutions.”
A total systems approach
Operating at speeds approaching 30 bags per minute, the Autobag OneStep
Print-n-Pack systems have no problem keeping up with automated insertions because
they operate as fast as the system can pull orders. With the printer positioned
near the bag-indexing location, the ability of the OneStep to print patient
information just prior to loading ensures that individual patient medications
are placed into the correct bag.
The system’s small footprint was a big advantage since it had to be physically
built into a comprehensive, turnkey system, says Tudor. There were some modifications
required to fit the custom infeed, which utilizes a vision counter system to
verify the number of medications before they drop into the bag. The operator
interface was moved to the rear of the unit for accessibility, but it was easily
integrated into the overall Pyxis system because all job-data storage and setup
parameters are PC-based.
Cardinal Health also uses genuine Autobag Bag-on-a-Roll products for premium
quality and reduced scrap. Automated Packaging Systems, meanwhile, offers a
total systems approach with its Autobag Systems Advantage program, which includes
the bagging machine, bag materials, and full service support with preferential
pricing and performance guarantees. “I can’t imagine a better organization
to work with in terms of quality, service, and integrity,” says Tudor.
Tudor reports that Cardinal Health has seen rapid market acceptance of its new
Pyxis Homerus automated pharmacy dispensing system and expects sales to grow
significantly because of the reported productivity and patient safety improvements.
In addition, he says that Cardinal Health is committed to revolutionizing the
way medication and supplies are distributed within healthcare facilities.
Copyright ©2004 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
