CASE STUDY
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Tension reps now visit AFA quarterly for regular maintenance on the LDU and conveyor
system. Khokhar adds, they are always available for one-off visits to resolve a specific issue.
HOW THE AUTOMATED PROCESS WORKS
Thirty Madison’s upstream platform is connected to the PharmaPATH software at AFA
so it can push orders to the pharmacy for fulfillment. With this, once orders have been
processed by Thirty Madison they go directly to the PharmaPATH to be routed to the
LDU and other workstations. Depending on what’s in the order, the LDU will dispense the
medications. AFA has operators behind the LDU who stock the channels to be sure there is
always enough product and at the front side of the LDU to handle any dispensing issues.
Once products are dispensed out of the LDU into totes, they go to a manual dispensing
workstation. This allows for slower moving medications to be added to the order if they
weren’t stocked in the LDU. It’s also where anything that needs to be hand counted is
dispensed. After the dispensing and labeling stations, the order moves on to pharmacist
verification — where a pharmacist physically checks the order to ensure the right products
have been dispensed. The PharmaPATH software also allows for virtual verification.
From here, the order goes on to packaging, where operators choose the most appropriate
packaging, whether bubble mailers or boxes. They then pack the order along with all
required documentation such as patient leaflets and medication guidelines — and send it
off to the shipping workstation.
“Tension’s software is just so good, it’s almost foolproof,” says DeRose. “When you scan
something — the software tells you exactly what to do next.” Khokhar agrees, saying the
software is so intuitive it’s almost impossible to make a misstep.
ENHANCED VISIBILITY INTO INVENTORY
Tension’s PharmaPATH includes a customizable dashboard that companies can use to
for at-a-glance visibility into their operations. For AFA, the dashboard focuses on tracking
inventory and monitoring what orders have been fulfilled. Initially, the data only included
the name of the patient and the products received. As orders increased, Tension added a
tracking number to the dashboard and eventually added the patient’s address and the lot
expiration date. AFA uses this information to see what they’ve dispensed throughout the
day — to manage inventory and ensure they hit output targets. “Tension has been very
accommodating in customizing our interface for us,” says DeRose. “They’re always happy
to add things as we define our process a little bit more,” Khokhar adds.
When Thirty Madison launched AFA Pharmacy, they had a vision for where they wanted
to go — and that’s where they started with Tension. “When we began working with the
software and saw the business growing in a way we didn’t necessarily anticipate, we
realized we had to pivot,” Khokhar explains. No matter what it was, even if it was outside
the original scope of the project, Tension always said, ‘Anything is possible.’ “Any ask we
have — Tension always makes it happen,” he says. “That’s how we know this system will
always be able to evolve with our business.”
“
Any ask we
have – Tension
always makes it
happen. Tat’s
how we know
this system will
always be able
to evolve with
our business.”
Omar Khokhar, Pharm.D
Pharmacy Manager
~ AFA Pharmacy