Molina Healthcare Clinics Install Robotic Dispensaries

A series of clinics on the west coast of the US presents a quick and cost-effective solution to patients by delivering prescription drugs. Molina Healthcare’s Medical Director, Rafael Amaro said that in a robotic dispensary the doctor sends the prescriptions to the machine via a computer and the patients can collect them.

Following the doctor’s visit, the patient is expected to enter the code number of the medicine on the computer screen and collect the medicine deposited in the machine’s window.

InstyMed, a Minnesota company, has been manufacturing robot pharmacies since 2001. The robotic pharmacies, which previously had an English program, now also feature a Spanish program. The shelves of the robotic dispensary are loaded with the relevant medicine cartridges by the medical assistant. The robot is capable of reading the bar codes on the ranks of bottles and boxes and finding the appropriate medicine.

Amaro informed that Molina Healthcare has 16 clinics in California and each one is equipped with a robotic dispensary. He also stated that there are two clinics in Washington, one of which has the automated pharmacy.