Durian Jannifer Lopez Stylish Photographs

Surgery Center Installs ATM-Style Prescription Drug Dispenser

Patients at the Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center don't have to travel to a pharmacy to get their post-op prescriptions filled anymore. Now they can drop by an on-site, fully automated, prescription drug dispenser before they leave for home. The ATM-style InstyMeds system collects payments, performs a triple bar-code safety check and dispenses medications in about 90 seconds, says the company. The Iowa surgical center began renting the InsyMeds machine in June after it became apparent during post-op phone calls that nearly 1 in 3 patients hadn't filled their prescriptions on the way home, says Kelly Durian, executive director of the ASC. "There is the potential to generate revenue with the dispenser, although that was not a primary factor in our decision to utilize it," he says. "Patient compliance with filling medications and patient convenience were the primary factors." The ASC spends a little more than $2,000 per month to rent the unit, says Mr. Durian. The rental covers a web-based prescription writer tool, dispenser maintenance, packaging and shipping, inventory management, labeling of medication, a 24/7 call center featuring a pharmacist or pharmacy tech available to answer patients' questions, insurance and credit card processing, accounts receivable and pharmacist services, says Emily Theisen, marketing manager for Eden Prairie, Minn.-based InstyMeds. Here's how it works. Each prescription that surgeons write for patients contains a code. Patients enter the code on the kiosk's touchscreen monitor, then swipe their debit or credit card to pay the co-pay. (Patients pay the same amount as they would at a pharmacy, says Mr. Durian.) The machine then dispenses the medication in a pre-packaged, labeled container. The ASC stocks a base formulary of drugs, paying InstyMeds to restock the drugs, minus any revenue from co-pays and insurance. Early reviews from patients and surgeons have been "very positive," says Mr. Durian.