ScriptPro SP 200® Robotic Prescription Dispensing System

Harborview Medical Center is a 368-bed patient care, teaching and research facility located in Seattle, WA. Owned by King County and managed by the University of Washington, Harborview is a major regional health care facility for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. It is the only Level 1 Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center in a four-state region. Two of the most important issues for Harborview’s Outpatient Pharmacy are medication safety and distribution efficiency.

“The prescription volume growth rate in the ambulatory pharmacy department is 5-10% per year and our physical space is limited. The ScriptPro system provides maximum productivity in a restricted space. Barcode scanning for prescriptions with the SP 200 and SP Central Workflow System plays a vital role in managing medication and patient safety in our main outpatient pharmacy. ScriptPro provides one feature in particular that is important to both patients and pharmacists: The printing of the image and markings of oral medications on the vial label, providing an extra check for both the pharmacist and the patient.

“Our mission population, which includes the homeless, non-English speaking poor, substance abusers and mentally ill patients, can present unique challenges. Prior to the implementation of SP Central, we spent a tremendous amount of time looking through prescription signature logs to make sure a prescription had not already been dispensed to a patient. With SP Central’s electronic signature capture, we can see immediately who picked up an order. We have hard data in the form of a signature and other identifying information, such as a driver’s license number.

“We push our SP 200 very hard, often running it 24 hours a day. During our midnight shift and slower times during the day and evening, we are able to pre-pack fast moving medications and keep the pre-packaged vials near the filling stations for the most efficient use of the robot and our staff.

“ScriptPro’s customer service has been very supportive of our pharmacy operations, 24 hours a day. We have received support on all levels—from administration to technical support.

“One important goal we have for our department is to develop and implement standards of practice at all of our pharmacy locations. We want ScriptPro to be an integral part of our future growth and improvements.”

Cyndy Clegg, R.Ph.