Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health has added three compounding robots to its central fill pharmacy at Bristol (Tenn.) Regional Medical Center.
The Omnicell IVX Station robots — named Hank, Willie and Reba — will help eliminate manual compounding tasks for staff members, ensure reliable IV preparation and reduce the risk of errors.
They join three Omnicell XR2 Central Pharmacy Dispensing robots introduced in early 2024. To date, the robots have dispensed nearly 9 million doses with zero medication picking errors, according to Trish Tanner, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Ballad.
“Now, patients in urgent situations such as the operating room will receive medications faster, with the IVX Station robots pre-filling syringes, helping to improve both safety and speed of care,” she said in an Oct. 2 news release. “By expanding automation into IV compounding, we’re further improving accuracy, reducing risk and strengthening our commitment to patients.”
Together, the robotic systems will support tens of millions of doses dispensed across Ballad Health’s hospitals.
Ballad Health is one of the first health systems nationwide to use both central dispensing and IV compounding robotics within a centralized pharmacy.
