Omnicell, Inc. (Nasdaq: OMCL), a leader in transforming pharmacy care delivery, has introduced its Central Med Automation Service. This subscription-based solution is crafted to help health systems implement and continuously optimize centralized medication management for Consolidated Pharmacy Services Centers (CPSCs) and similar operations. Designed to streamline medication dispensing from a central fulfillment area across the entire health system, Central Med Automation Service aims to enhance inventory visibility, scalability, and patient safety.
“Traditional methods of medication management can result in multi-vendor environments that complicate workflows, often creating unnecessary redundancy and increasing error risks,” said Randall Lipps, Omnicell’s chairman, president, CEO, and founder. “Pharmacy leaders understand the benefits of centralizing services but often lack the budget, resources, and expertise to overhaul and scale their infrastructure. Our Central Med Automation Service helps health systems develop and implement a central fill strategy while providing expert support to meet both current and future medication management needs.”
Central Med Automation Service integrates enterprise-wide robotics, smart devices, and intelligent software with expert services to support centralized pharmacy operations at acute care, remote clinics, and community sites. Key components include:
Robotics & Smart Devices
- XR2 Automated Central Pharmacy System: Advanced robotics for medication storage and dispensing automate critical workflows, reduce human error, and enhance inventory control. With 100% barcode scanning and soonest-to-expire dispensing, these systems improve inventory visibility, efficiency, and patient safety, allowing pharmacy staff to focus on clinical tasks.
Software
- Central Pharmacy Manager for Central Med Automation Service: This intelligent software supports centralized medication management workflows, including ordering, receiving, picking, verifying, and restocking. It features enhanced processing power to handle high transaction volumes and streamline distribution workflows.
- Inventory Optimization Service: Combining software with expert services, this solution provides enterprise-wide visibility and management of medication par levels, expiration dates, and usage patterns through data-rich dashboards.
Expert Services
- Upfront and Ongoing Guidance: Omnicell experts tailor the Central Med Automation Service to meet specific customer needs, including initial setup and ongoing monitoring to ensure continuous optimization and safety.
- Continuous On-site Support: Dedicated on-site assistance ensures round-the-clock operational efficiency and productivity.
- KPI Performance Tracking: Data analytics deliver operational performance metrics to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
Additional tools and systems, such as Omnicell’s pharmacy carousels, packagers, 340B program management software, and the new Central Pharmacy Manager Mobile Workstation, can extend the capabilities of the Central Med Automation Service, enhancing order fulfillment and operational flexibility.
“Managing medications is increasingly complex, especially amidst drug and pharmacy technician shortages,” said Nilesh Desai, RPh, CPPS, chief pharmacy officer at Baptist Health. “Centralizing pharmacy services with Omnicell’s support helps us tackle these challenges and improve care quality. Their Central Med Automation Service is pivotal to our success.”
Central Med Automation Service supports various approaches to centralizing pharmacy operations, including hub and spoke, warehouse, and hybrid models, advancing the industry vision of an Autonomous Pharmacy that replaces manual, error-prone activities with safer, automated processes.
