Swisslog Adds Automatic Restocking Capability to its Pharmacy Storage and Dispensing Robot

Swisslog's PillPick System, which packages, stores and dispenses bar coded unit dose medications in hospital pharmacies, is receiving an enhanced automatic restocking capability for helping manage unusued medications.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) May 5, 2005 -- Swisslog, a leader in hospital pharmacy automation, recently enhanced the automatic restocking feature of PillPick®. PillPick is a high density, robotic warehouse for automated packaging, storage and dispensing of bar coded unit dose medications in the hospital. The enhanced feature automatically restocks unused unit doses directly into the automated storage module.

The process begins when bulk pharmaceutical items are packaged and bar coded into individual unit doses. Unit doses are automatically stored for future retrieval and dispensing to patient floors. The system has the capacity for up to 44,400 unit doses and over 4,000 unique medications. Stored medications are ready for on-demand automatic dispensing to cart fill, first dose or cabinet restocking.

Returned medications are now automatically restocked into the PillPick system via a secured window on the storage module, where they are stored until they are again required for dispensing. A unique identifier for each unit dose allows for tracking of each medication. This enables the system to automatically credit a patient for unused medications and creates an auditable trail for each individual dose.

The automatic return feature is operational at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the hospital pharmacy dispenses up to 12,000 unit doses each day. Installation of the feature is also planned at three of Swisslogs customers: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California; Centre Hosptalier Pierre Le Gardeur near Montreal, Canada, and Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

About Swisslog
Swisslog is a global provider of integrated logistics solutions for warehouses, distribution centers and hospitals. The comprehensive portfolio ranges from building complex warehouses and distribution centers including Swisslogs software, in-house logistics solutions for hospitals as well as software and consulting services in the field of supply chain management. Swisslogs solutions optimize the customers production, logistics and distribution processes in order to increase their flexibility, responsiveness and quality of service, while minimizing logistics costs.

With years of experience in the development and implementation of integrated logistics solutions, Swisslog provides the expertise that customers in more than 50 countries around the world rely on. Headquartered in Buchs/Aarau, Switzerland, Swisslog currently employs around 1,850 staff in 23 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.swisslog.com and click on Healthcare Solutions.

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