These converging pressures are leading forward-thinking health systems toward innovative solutions. Central fill pharmacies powered by advanced automation offer IDNs a solution that extends medication access while making the most of limited resources.
Capsa Healthcare’s unique approach to central fill automation design and technology empowers health systems to address medication access barriers. Capsa’s modular system can be tailored to any space and scales rapidly without disrupting operations. The impact is remarkable: a massive reduction in labor requirements and cost per filled script.
Retail Retrofits: Reliability Challenges
Since the VA pioneered central fill pharmacies, these facilities have relied on retrofitted retail automation to meet their needs. These repurposed systems, often created by adding autonomous arms to retail dispensing robots, have significant drawbacks, including capacity limitations, scalability challenges, and unreliability. As Pablo Arias, Director of Program Management at Capsa Healthcare, explains, “Having a single point of failure, like a robotic counting arm, is the Achilles’ heel in a lot of these systems.”
That single point of failure can cripple an operation for hours or days. Unfortunately, retrofitted retail systems are both difficult to maintain and prone to malfunction. Rapidly escalating prescription volume makes this a critical vulnerability that health systems cannot afford to overlook.
Purpose-Built Automation for Central Fill
Capsa Healthcare entered the central fill space with 50 years of pharmacy automation experience and a blank sheet of paper, engineering a purpose-built solution designed entirely for central fill pharmacies.
The foundation of Capsa’s central fill automation is the High-Volume Counting Cell (HVC), which is unlike any other solution on the market. The HVC exemplifies Capsa’s innovative approach to automation technology. It is engineered specifically and exclusively for central fill, automating up to 80% of prescription volume, processing 480 prescriptions per hour—far surpassing the capabilities of retrofitted retail systems.
Capsa’s High-Volume Counting Cell is an original approach to central fill pharmacy automation that offers unprecedented reliability and flexibility. Because each HVC operates independently, a problem with a single cell doesn’t suddenly halt operations. If a cell malfunctions, it is easily replaced while the rest of the system continues to operate as normal. HVCs are also futureproof, with nearly endless expansion capabilities—automating 100 SKUs, 1,000 SKUs, or more. Scaling up is painless. Additional HVCs can be added as needed with near-zero downtime.
Explore Capsa Healthcare’s innovative central fill pharmacy technology.
Unrivaled Efficiency and Cost Savings
The benchmark for high-volume prescription fulfillment is less than 1.5 scripts per square foot. Capsa’s central fill automation solution, anchored by the HVC, processes an astonishing 3.55 scripts per square foot—more than double the industry average. This translates into significant cost savings, with the HVC delivering up to 4 times lower cost per filled script. The system also reduces daily replenishment time by up to 82% and cuts labor requirements by 50% or more.
A Partner for Long-Term Success
Capsa Healthcare’s value proposition extends beyond cutting-edge technology. The company’s comprehensive partnership approach is designed to guide health systems through every stage of their automation journey, from initial analysis and customized solution design to hands-on implementation and ongoing support. By working closely with each client to understand their unique needs, constraints, and growth objectives, Capsa ensures that the central fill automation strategy is tailored for long-term success.
Industry stalwarts like Express Scripts and CVS trust Capsa’s solutions as integral components of their central fill operations because of their unparalleled innovation and commitment to ongoing partnership.
Discover Capsa’s collaborative approach to central fill pharmacy design.
Bold Answers for a Better Future
The pharmacy desert crisis continues to strain health systems and limit patient access to medications. Nearly half of U.S. counties are in pharmacy deserts, and the number of impacted Americans is growing faster than the population at large. It’s clear that now is the time to future-proof central fill operations. Capsa Healthcare’s automation technology and collaborative partnership model empower IDNs to rise to the challenge of expanding medication access while unlocking their pharmacy’s full potential.
Attending Becker’s Spring 2025 Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit? Capsa’s industry experts will be there to discuss your central fill pharmacy operation. Stop by our table for a chat.
