When Cone Health set out to overhaul its pharmacy automation infrastructure in 2024, the health system knew the decision would impact medication management across its entire enterprise for years to come. The comprehensive evaluation that followed offers valuable insight for other health systems navigating similar technology partnerships.
The North Carolina-based health system developed an evaluation framework to assess multiple pharmacy automation vendors that served as a roadmap for this critical decision.
Strategic Alignment Comes First
Cone Health prioritized finding a vendor whose mission and innovation trajectory aligned with the health system’s long-term strategic goals. This wasn’t simply about matching current capabilities to immediate needs but rather identifying a partner that could evolve alongside the organization.
The health system emphasized the importance of a vendor’s ability to support integration and collaboration across the continuum of care. This meant evaluating whether potential partners could effectively serve diverse care settings, from acute inpatient environments to outpatient services, ensuring consistent medication management practices throughout the enterprise.
Real-Time Inventory Visibility
Effective inventory management emerged as another critical consideration. Cone Health sought to enhance medication inventory visibility across its facilities and gain access to real-time analytics that could support proactive optimization of medication availability.
Integration with electronic health record systems proved essential in this area. The health system wanted its pharmacy automation solution to seamlessly connect with its Epic EHR, to help automate critical workflows including remote queueing and controlled substance reconciliation.
Flexibility Across Departments
The need for customization and functional flexibility represented the third key evaluation criterion. Cone Health recognized that different care areas have specialized workflow requirements, and a one-size-fits-all approach would limit adoption and impact.
During the evaluation process, the health system found that vendors varied significantly in their willingness and ability to customize solutions. Cone Health noted that some vendors offered more rigid hardware and software configurations, while others demonstrated greater flexibility in adapting solutions to meet departmental-level needs. The contracting process itself also factored into this assessment, with scalable pricing and adaptable terms becoming important considerations for supporting both immediate implementation and future expansion.
Validating Service Claims
Reliable post-implementation support ranked as the fourth critical factor. Cone Health recognized that any vendor could make claims about service quality, so the health system took concrete steps to validate these assertions.
The evaluation process included visits to reference sites where the health system could observe real-world performance and speak directly with organizations already using the technology. These site visits allowed Cone Health to assess issue resolution speed, understand available staff training opportunities, and evaluate strategies for ongoing system enhancement, while providing confidence in the credibility of service commitments.
Planning for Future Growth
The fifth consideration focused on innovation and scalability. Cone Health sought a partner that could grow alongside the organization and anticipate future demands rather than simply meeting current needs.
This meant evaluating vendors’ track records in pharmacy automation innovation and reviewing their roadmaps for future investment and development. The health system needed assurance that its technology partner would continue advancing its solutions as healthcare delivery models and medication management practices evolve.
Looking Beyond the Specs
Cone Health’s evaluation framework demonstrates that selecting pharmacy automation vendors requires looking beyond technical specifications and pricing. Strategic alignment, integration capabilities, customization options, validated support quality, and innovation potential all play crucial roles in identifying partners that can support long-term success.
For health systems embarking on similar evaluations, the message is clear: invest time in comprehensive assessment across multiple dimensions, validate vendor claims through reference site visits, and prioritize partners whose vision aligns with your organization’s strategic trajectory. The decision will shape medication management practices and patient safety outcomes for years to come.
Read 5 Key Considerations for Choosing a Pharmacy Automation Partner to learn more.
