Can Pharmacy Automation Reduce Operating Expenses? Labor Cost Scenario.

April 23, 2024

Let’s delve into a case study involving a pharmacy tasked with filling 50,000 blister cards monthly to analyze the impact of automation on operational expenses.

Manual Filling Analysis:

75% of the cards are pre-packaged, while the remaining 25% are produced on-demand. We estimate 1,583 technician hours across 10 Technicians.

Patient-labeled Blister CardsTech HoursTechnicians
Pre-packaging37,500750 hours5
On-Demand12,500833 hours5
Total50,000 blister cards1,583 hours10 technicians

Cost for Technicians: The cost for 10 technicians to fill 50,000 cards is approximately $32,400 per month.

Cost per hourTech HoursCost
Pre-pack techs$18 (includes taxes, benefits, etc)500 hours$9,000
Advanced techs$22 (includes taxes, benefits, etc)750 hours$5,400
On-Demand techs$22 (includes taxes, benefits, etc)833 hours$18,000
Total(10 technicians)1,583 hours$32,400

Automated Filling

Now, let’s explore the integration of automation into the workflow.

With a 3 automation towers DOSIS Systems will fill, seal and label 70% of the total card volume. Managing the automation hardware requires 3-4 hours per-day, per-tower, resulting in 219 technician hours monthly. Combining manual and automation management hours, the pharmacy requires approximately 657 technician hours monthly across 4 technicians.

Patient-labeled Blister CardsTech HoursTechnicians
Prepackaging11,250188 hours2
On-Demand3,750250 hours2
Automated Fill35,000219 hours
Total50,000 blister cards657 hours4 technicians

Cost for Production: Adding up the labor cost and the automation expenses we estimate spending $26,222 per month.

Cost per hourTech HoursCost
Pre-pack techs$18 (includes taxes, benefits, etc)113 hours$2,034 
Advanced techs$22 (includes taxes, benefits, etc)75 hours$1,620 
On-Demand techs$22 (includes taxes, benefits, etc)250 hours$5,400 
Automation Cost3 Towers + 219 hours of technician management219 hours$17,168
Total(4 technicians)657 hours$26,222

Comparative Analysis

By transitioning to automation, the pharmacy achieves significant efficiencies:

  • A reduction from 10 to 4 required technicians
  • Decrease in total technician hours from 1,583 to 657 monthly
  • Monthly operating expense savings of $6,179
Manual FillAutomation (DOSIS Systems)NET SAVINGS
% Manual Fill100%30%70%
Required Technicians1046
Total Technicians Hours1,583657927
Total Cost of Production$32,400$26,222$6,179 per month

Conclusion

In many cases, automation can positively impact the bottom line. There are many variables to consider as you evaluate the use of automation and how it can impact your pharmacy’s OPEX.

If you are interested to go into more detail about your pharmacy, schedule a demo with a product specialist. We go over the features of DOSIS Systems alongside the the financial impact it could have on your operations. Schedule a Demo today to find out more.

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