Key Points
- Technology will be the mainstay of the pharmacy of the future, enabling practitioners to spend more time in patient-centered
activities. Categories of developing technology include:
- Resources for clinical decision support.
- Error prevention and quality assurance.
- Telecommunications infrastructure.
- Automation and robotics.
- Collaborative practice connectivity.
- E-prescribing.
- Telepharmacy and kiosks.
- Health information technology systems.
- Delivery service support.
- Pharmacy surveillance and security systems.
(Courtesy Black Star/Jason Cohn/Getty Images/Brand X Pictures)
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Machines can count pills and put them into a bottle. Dispensing kiosks can process prescription refills during off-hours.
What does that leave for pharmacists of the future to do?
"The pharmacist is going to be responsible for managing the effective distribution process of medication. Current and future
automation will assist with that, because anything that streamlines and automates the dispensing and distribution process
will obviously free the pharmacist to fulfill more of a clinical role as well," said James Owen, BS Pharm, PharmD, director
of professional practice for the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).
Pharmacies such as Brighton HealthMart, northeast of Pittsburgh in New Brighton, Pa., have already embraced the benefits of
technology.
"You name it, we own it and we use it. We even use iPhones to handle the load," said Timothy Davis, PharmD, who works at both
the Brighton HealthMart owned by his father, Harry M. Davis, RPh (pictured, left) and the nearby Beaver HealthMart, which
he owns. "We've applied automation to free up RPh time to build and expand immunization and MTM services." Simply put, pharmacists and pharmacies of tomorrow must find ways to increase profit margins by reducing the cost of prescribing,
embracing technology, and focusing more on patient counseling, immunizations, education, and other natural offshoots of their
clinical expertise. Some experts predict that the future of pharmacy will embrace the clinical skills and care pharmacists
have always been qualified to deliver.
"The pharmacy landscape has changed, reflecting the 'perfect storm' of market pressures, including flat volumes, deteriorating
margins, and increased staff costs," said Nanette Kirsch, senior director for marketing communication for Parata Systems.
"To remain profitable and drive future growth, dispensing must become a loss leader of sorts; it draws customers into pharmacies,
but it must become less costly, and pharmacists must find new ways to generate revenue."
Resources: 
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