CASE STUDY
www.tensionautomation.com
THE WORKFLOW SOFTWARE SYSTEM
Today, AFA operates out of a 40,000-square-foot facility that includes a warehouse and
fulfillment center. Jenny DeRose, Pharm.D, AFA’s pharmacist in charge, says the pharmacy
— which specializes in hair loss treatments and prescriptions covering conditions such as
birth control and hair loss as well as migraine treatments and migraine prescriptions —
currently processes 4,000 to 5,000 orders daily. “It wasn’t always like this,” she explains.
“At first, we weren’t processing anywhere near that number of orders, we knew we weren’t
ready for automation right away.” At the same time, however, the team at AFA was eager
to get started with Tension’s PharmaPATH — even before they installed the LDU, which
would ultimately automate processes.
“It wasn’t really their standard operating procedure,” DeRose says, “But Tension agreed
to let us use the software to fulfill orders manually until we installed the LDU.” To do that,
the company developed an entire manual pharmacy using PharmaPATH that mirrored
what the automated workflow would eventually look like. They started by analyzing the
specs for AFA’s fulfillment center, making recommendations on how best to configure the
workstations and processes. “They even coordinated with our contractors to make sure all
the specifications we needed to accommodate the workflow were clear,” says Khokhar.
DeRose adds that the company also helped make sure the system was futureproof.
“In addition to automating, we knew we wanted to install Parata machines and potentially
add cold chain to our processes at some point,” she explains. “So, Tension was sure to
carve out space for us to implement these when we are ready.”
LDU FLEX WITH PHARMAPATH AUTOMATED DISPENSING
Gaining experience with the PharmaPATH user interface before installing the LDU was
invaluable for AFA, says Khokhar. “It gave us so much insight into best practices in terms
of packaging, verification, and shipping that implementing the automated process was
seamless.” So once order volume began to increase steadily — they felt ready to install the
LDU Flex System.
Not much changed from a software or workflow standpoint, explains Khokhar. “The only
different bit of software introduced was related to the LDU — and even then, Tension held
our hand through the whole process.” In fact, Tension’s lead developer stayed on-site for
about four weeks once the LDU was operational to ensure everything went as smoothly as
possible. “He told us from the beginning, it’s a new system that is learning you as much as
you are learning it — and there will be hiccups.”
This level of support is something DeRose didn’t quite expect. “Everyone at Tension
is incredibly responsive,” she says. For example, at one point, the pharmacy was
experiencing some small errors with its conveyor transition arms. When the provider
for the conveyor couldn’t figure out the errors, one of Tension’s coders stepped in to
troubleshoot. “Even though I know they have other clients — I always feel they are
completely dedicated to us.”
“
Tension’s software
is just so good, it’s
almost foolproof.
When you scan
something – the
software tells you
exactly what to
do next.”
Jenny DeRose, Pharm.D
Pharmacist in Charge
~ AFA Pharmacy