Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Health is building a central pharmacy service center designed to streamline operations, improve patient access and expand pharmacy services across its four hospitals and growing ambulatory network.
The 40,000-square-foot facility, set to open in January, is similar to other projects that health systems across the U.S. are undertaking to boost operational efficiency. The total investment in the new facility is estimated at $17 million, which includes the building and automation infrastructure.
Becker spoke with Danielle Griggs, PharmD, chief pharmacy officer at UVA Health, to learn more about the goals behind the project and how it serves the health system’s broader mission.
A response to growth
Dr. Griggs said the push to build a central service center stemmed from the rapid growth within UVA Health’s pharmacy operations.
“We’ve really maxed out what we can do in our current footprint and had a need to identify additional space. As we developed plans for incremental space, we have been intentional and strategic in leveraging centralized services that benefit patients across all of our UVA Health clinics and hospitals,” she said.
The new site will serve as a hub for central fill operations supporting nine retail pharmacy locations and the UVA Health specialty and home delivery pharmacy, which will allow expansion of services into new outpatient clinics and delivery areas.
“This becomes the engine for increasing our capacity, which then allows us to have more intake points across the system, so patients will have more opportunities to interact with a pharmacist or pharmacy technician to help them manage their medications and improve medication outcomes,” Dr. Griggs said.
The rise of central pharmacy centers
Health systems nationwide are increasingly adopting central pharmacy service centers to streamline operations and improve patient care.
Louisville, Ky.-based Baptist Health, serving Kentucky and Southern Indiana, opened a 102,000-square-foot central pharmacy service center in La Grange, Ky., that supports nine hospitals and more than 450 outpatient clinics. The facility is also capable of filling 14,000 prescriptions per day.
Detroit-based Henry Ford Health opened a 45,000-square-foot central pharmacy service center in September; it can process more than 1,000 requests per day and is expected to save the health system $30 million over five years.
One of the main reasons there has been a shift to these hubs is because as health systems grow through mergers and acquisitions, managing multiple pharmacy operations across various locations can be inefficient and costly.
Leaning into automation
With its expansion, UVA Health is transitioning from its fully manual workflows into a tech-enabled operating model.
“Our current workflows are manual, fulfillment, packaging and distribution. All of those processes are manual and labor intensive,” she said. “This will bring us to an automated operating model, where there’ll be automation driven workflows throughout the process. This will speed up our ability to fulfill prescriptions, ultimately meeting patients’ needs more quickly, and leading and leading the way in pharmacy innovation.”
Dr. Griggs said the facility will have technological advancements including robotics, centralized fulfillment automation and full integration with UVA Health’s EHR system. She also noted that the health system is exploring the use of AI-powered communication tools to improve patient engagement.
This includes text messages, apps and push notifications regarding prescription services and online scheduling.
“We want to drive patients to a digital user experience given this is what patients want from their pharmacy,” she said.
Investing in workforce development
UVA Health’s central pharmacy is also expected to create at least 50 new jobs, many of them for pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. This includes an internal training program aimed at developing future pharmacy technicians, Dr. Griggs said.
“We’re very excited about new opportunities for people to grow their career at UVA, particularly for pharmacy technicians,” she said. “We have an internal training program where someone can come and be paid on the job while you’re completing the program. This is a great entry point and an opportunity for those without pharmacy or healthcare experience that may be interested in a career as a pharmacy technician.”
