CASE STUDY
www.mckesson.com
The one-sided cabinet design can �t into a pharmacy’s existing layout, including at the
end of a bay or against a wall. Pharmacies can start with just one or two cabinets and
add on over time to operate as many as 10 simultaneously. Individual cabinets feature
18 canisters, each of which holds a unique medication. This means the technology is
completely customizable and scalable — making it perfect for growing with pharmacies
as needs change. At the same time, because of its size, it doesn’t require a lot of space
or extensive modi�cations to the pharmacy like some larger robotic systems might.
Point City Drugs opted to install two cabinets, allowing them to automate the counting
of 36 distinct medications. McMullen says they began by running a drug report to
identify what they call their fast movers. “These are the medications we �ll most often,
so felt that prioritizing them in the CountAssist would add the most ef�ciency to our
workflow.” They ended up automating 35 medications, with two canisters dedicated to
the same pill due to its larger size.
“From a space perspective, we were concerned about how we were going to
accommodate everything — the influx of new patients, drugs we might need to add, and
new techs as well as new technology,” says McMullen. “It took a bit of reorganizing, but
we found the perfect spot, a kind of cubby, and now it all just flows like it’s always been
there.” The pharmacy keeps extra stock for �lling the canisters on a shelf right above the
CountAssist — so everything is at hand, she adds. Each canister also has an indicator
that blinks when a medication needs to be replenished.
CountAssist features a user-friendly interface and software that integrates seamlessly
with existing pharmacy management software, making it easy to learn and use.
Point City Drugs’ pharmacy software system flags the medications stored in the
canisters. That means when pharmacy technicians start �lling a prescription in the
software, they immediately see that the drug is in one of the canisters. Once the
prescription is �lled, it’s sent directly to the CountAssist. When technicians scan
the label barcode at the CountAssist, the robot recognizes it, counts out the pills
needed, and �lls the vials.
MCKESSON SUPPORT: ALWAYS ON POINT
“Getting up to speed took a little bit,” says McMullen. “A McKesson �eld tech came onsite
to show us how to change out and clean canisters, measure pills going in and �nd a
crown that �ts.” While canisters are all a uniform size, she explains, the crowns — which
automate the pill counting — vary in width and depth depending on the size and shape
of the pills.
“We’ve hit a few bumps along the way,” McMullen notes. “But someone is always
available to help.” As an example, at the beginning there was a problem with a couple
of the canisters. When McKesson’s �eld tech couldn’t resolve a problem, the company
flew the department head out the next day to �x it. McKesson’s head programmers even
spent time on the phone with Point City Drugs’ pharmacy software provider to work
through some challenges they were experiencing.
“
We hired more techs,
but we knew we also
wanted to simplify our
workfow so pharmacists
and techs would have
the time we needed to
spend with customers.”
Wendy McMullen, CPhT
~ Point City Drugs