A growing number of health systems are investing heavily in centralized service centers to help reduce costs, address drug shortages and streamline operations.
- In March, Indianapolis-based Eskenazi Health opened a $10 million, 32,000-square-foot central fulfillment center designed to fill 60% of the health system’s prescriptions over the next five years. The facility relies on automation to handle high volumes of prescriptions and aims to reduce staff burdens by routing non-urgent prescription fulfillment away from in-store pharmacists.
- In August, Fairfax, Va.-based Inova Health opened a 72,000-square-foot facility. The hub combines specialty, retail and mail-order pharmacy operations under one roof. The center is also supported by automation, robotic filling, medical-grade refrigeration and a large call center.
- Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke’s Health is rolling out a multi-phase initiative to help consolidate its pharmacy services. As of June, its new centralized pharmacy is delivering medications to 14 locations with future plans to expand centralized repackaging, compounding and home infusion.
- Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Health is expanding its pharmacy footprint with a 40,000-square-foot centralized services center, set to open in January. The facility will support the growing demand for specialty and home delivery pharmacy services along with use automation to process up to 4,000 prescriptions per shift.
- WVU Medicine, based in Morgantown, W.Va., is focusing on a logistics-heavy approach for the health system, converting its former Mylan Pharmaceutical plant into a 25,000-square-foot centralized center. Todd Karpinski, PharmD, chief pharmacy officer for the health system, told Becker’s the centralized model has been key for managing drug shortages, minimizing waste and improving efficiency. The facility has already produced significant returns on investment, with the health system estimating $620,000 in drug shortage savings in 2025.
