Category: Medical Vending Machines

College Campus Offers Emergency Contraceptive Plan B Via Vending Machine

Posted on by John Van Horn

Biomedical vending machines are becoming increasingly common in healthcare settings around the country, the Student Government at the University of California in Santa Barbara are taking Medical vending machines to a higher level. As explained by Nathan Rubbelke, student government leaders at UCSB have approved the purchase of a medical contraceptive vending machine that will dispense condoms, lube, tampons, pregnancy tests, and the morning-after pill, Plan B. However, this action raises a few interesting questions, and students need to understand how this machine will sexual health on campus.

What Triggered the Installation of the Plan B Vending Machine?

College life is hectic, and accessing items for reproductive health can be challenging for students. Although many of these items are accessible through the Health and Wellness program at UCSD, students need a way to access these items on weekends. This medical vending machines will provide access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is excellent for students who may not be able to access in-office resources do to work or school schedules.

Without the machine, students who have unprotected sex early in the weekend, such as Friday night, would be unable to obtain Plan B from Student Health until Monday. By installing this machine, student government leaders also seek to resolve another problem. On occasion, nearby pharmacies and Planned Parenthood may run out of Plan B, and students need to have access to the contraceptive as soon as possible.

Is This the First Time Plan B Has Been Offered Through a Pharmaceutical Vending Machine?

In 2010, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania installed a similar vending machines with the purpose of dispensing Plan B on campus. Little interest centered around the vending machine for two years, but the Food and Drug Administration began to look into the matter in 2012. Eventually, the FDA declined to take any action on the matter, and the college continued to sell Plan B from the vending machine.

What About Opposition to the Pharmaceutical Vending Machine?

There are opponents to the dispensing of Plan B in a vending machine. In fact, the president of the Anscombe Society at UCSB has expressed severe criticism over the very idea of installing a pharmaceutical vending machine with contraceptive items. While this sentiment emphasizes the group’s focus on maintaining sexual purity, students are already accessing Plan B through other measures, and this vending machine will simplify the needs of UCSB’s students who have been in the situation of finding an after-hours option for contraception.

The face of the pharmaceutical vending machine industry is changing. Once, mild pain relievers, mouthwash, and simple over-the-counter medications were available in vending machines. Now, female students can take a stronger role in ensuring their reproductive health with a medical vending machine, such as those designed by Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, to access over-the-counter Plan B when other means of obtaining the medication are unavailable.

Prescription Drug Vending Machine Brought on Campus

Posted on by John Van Horn

Over the last few years, you’ve no doubt gotten used to the fact that vending machines are no longer just a source for soft drinks and salty snacks. You’ve probably purchased at least one electronic device from a vending machine in an airport, or have at least seen someone do so. You’ve maybe even used a DVD vending machine or gotten your morning paper in much the same way. Now, providers are taking things to the next level by offering prescription dispenser units and other medical vending machine options.

Arizona State University’s Prescription Medication Vending Machine

In 2014, Arizona State University became one of the first educational institutions in the country to install a prescription dispenser on campus. Located in the Health Services Building, this unit was designed to help both make sure that people had quick and easy access to the medical supplies that they needed and to increase efficiency within that organization at the exact same time.

The medical vending machine was designed to fill the medical prescriptions of both students and university employees at a moment’s notice. By using a voucher with identifying information that itself is tied to a very specific code, any doctor could prescribe medication to a patient that could then be picked up at the vending machine within 24 hours.

This advancement couldn’t have come at a better time, too, as the pharmacy at Arizona State University closed just a few weeks prior. Thanks to the prescription dispenser, people were able to continue getting the service they needed without transferring to other pharmacies or seeing any other type of negative impact at all.

At its launch, the prescription medication vending machine offered the 50 medications that were most commonly prescribed to students on campus. Based on the type of software that the machine was powered with, this could change on a regular basis as trends did. If a new medication were to creep into that top 50, it would be added to the list and something that was less likely to be prescribed would be removed.

UCapIt

UCapIt is just one example of a company that is offering controlled access pharmaceutical dispensing options to healthcare organizations around the world on a daily basis. UCapIt solutions are armed with state-of-the-art software that allows not only for instant recording whenever a purchase is made, but also for things like detailed reporting, the tracking of who has access to which types of supplies, advanced inventory management capabilities and more.

This is just one example of the many ways that medical vending machine technology is positively impacting the lives of people all over the world on a daily basis. For students at Arizona State University, they found the process of filling a prescription was easier than ever before. It’s easy to picture a time not too far from now where these types of medical vending solutions are rolled out beyond college campuses and are located in drug stores, pharmacies and other locations across the world.

Star Trek’s Medical Tricorder Is No Longer Fantasy

Posted on by John Van Horn

When you think about the classic 1960’s show “Star Trek,” you probably call to mind images of Klingons, Tribbles and star William Shatner wearing what can politely be called a “toupee” and ignoring all conventional forms of grammar and punctuation at the exact same time. What you may not realize is that even though “Star Trek” aired during the 1960s, a lot of the technology used by the Enterprise has shifted from the realm of fantasy into reality. Take the medical tricorder used by Dr. McCoy on the show, for example – if Stanford scientists have their way, hospitals around the world will be using this wonderful device sooner rather than later.

Star Trek – Science Fact?

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of Dr. McCoy’s medical tricorder, it’s a device that actually resembles a common cell phone in many ways. It’s a device he used in just about every episode to identify certain problems that a person was having and to check blood samples without requiring them to go through the types of invasive procedures that would have been common at the time.

Now, a team of scientists from Stanford believe that they’ve developed what would essentially be the modern day equivalent of the tricorder – a device that can be used to spot a cancerous tumor in a person from as far as a foot away.

As with most incredible inventions, this one came about by accident. DARPA was searching for a way to remotely identify bombs that were buried in the soil to increase troop safety. Using microwave technology, researchers were able to create a detector that accomplished exactly that. Now, those Stanford scientists are using the same basic theory to identify tumors based on the number of additional blood vessels they create in the affected area of a person’s body. The project’s leader says that it will only take between 10 and 15 years to get this technology into the hands of medical providers everywhere.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMqR8Lw-AKE

UCapIt

UCapIt is just one example of a company that is helping to take the science fiction technology on classic shows like “Star Trek” and make it a reality today. UCapIt offers controlled access pharmaceutical dispensing solutions to customers all over the world on a daily basis. Not only do these pharmaceutical dispensers and hospital vending machines offer access to the important supplies that employees need when they need them the most, but they also help the medical organizations themselves prevent theft, abuse, tackle inventory and supply control problems and more.

Medical vending machine options like these are just one of the many examples of how technology has allowed us to take what was once considered pure fantasy and bring it into the world of reality in the most efficient way possible. If we’re already so close to having a medical tricorder in every hospital in the world, can the transporter or the holodeck from the Enterprise really be that far behind?

Hospital Scrubs in Public? What Are Your Thoughts?

Posted on by John Van Horn

Have you ever found yourself walking down the street or on the train during the morning commute and next to you is someone wearing a classic pair of hospital scrubs? What you’re seeing may be a bit more than just someone on their way to or from work – you may be looking at someone exposing everyone around them to danger, depending on the situation.

According to a recent report out of Tampa Bay, Florida, many local hospitals in the area were found to either have poor enforcement or no enforcement whatsoever regarding how often healthcare professionals need to clean their scrubs, change their scrubs and whether they’re allowed to be worn in the first place outside of the hospital environment.

The Dangers of Wearing Scrubs in Public

When it comes to things like germ and pathogen transfer, scrubs in public represent something of a two way street. In certain situations, a person who wears a pair of scrubs in an operating room or other emergency room environment could take pathogens from that location out into the world with them if they wear their scrubs when they leave the building. While it is unlikely that a doctor would go fresh from the operating room down the street to lunch without changing, it is still a very real concern.

However, it is not the biggest issue that this situation poses. A person who is allowed to wear their scrubs out in public could potentially bring outside contaminants INTO a highly sensitive medical environment, thus posing a risk to patients, other medical professionals and more. This is a large part of the reason why it is recommended that hospitals and other healthcare facilities institute a policy regarding where scrubs should and should not be worn and how often they need to be cleaned moving forward.

The Benefits of a Scrub Dispenser

ScrubTrak, a scrub dispenser from Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, is a piece of equipment that is designed to help relieve exactly these types of problems in the most innovative ways possible. Scrubs are dispensed from a vending machine, similar to the way you might pick up a candy bar or a cold snack on your lunch break. Not only can healthcare professionals keep a clean pair of scrubs within arm’s reach at all times, but the machine itself is also tied directly to both the healthcare facility’s inventory and to a user ID and other identifying account information. Administrators can keep track of how scrubs are being used, how long they’re being used and more – all from one innovative solution.

Wearing scrubs out in public could pose a danger to everyone who comes into contact with such a person, which is why innovative solutions like the medical scrub dispenser are so important in the first place. They’re using the latest that technology has to offer to make the world a safer, healthier place for everyone involved.

Medical Supply Vending Machines Help EMT’s and More

Posted on by John Van Horn

When someone thinks of a trip to the vending machine, chances are, they think of sweet and salty treats and carbonated beverages. However, for many EMTs, going to the vending machine has a completely new meaning. Rather than dispensing soda and chips, there are now various types of medical vending machines that dispense medical equipment, medications and more to ensure EMT crews have all the materials they need to save lives and help civilians.

This is one of the many ways that towns are now working to minimize issues due to shortages of common supplies and drugs. There are a number of causes of the shortages, with the FDA stating that issues such as production delays and quality control issues are mainly the cause.

Also, there are a number of US pharmaceutical companies that no longer have any interest in creating the older fluids and drugs that are considered “staples of emergency care”, and now focus their time on creating products that yield a higher profit margin. There is no way for the FDA to force these companies to continue making these drugs or other products, which then leaves those in the field without the necessities for saving lives and helping people.

This has spurred a bit of creativity in the world of vending machines.

The EMT medical supply vending machine will provide alerts to paramedics when a piece of equipment or drug is getting low or close to its expiration. The items that are about to expire can be returned to the distributor for credit, and it is known that fewer should be ordered the next time around. This minimizes the number of drugs and other supplies that are being thrown away each month and in turn, saves money.

The idea of a medical vending machine has definitely caught on and allows for better control of these necessary items, while still ensuring that those in the field have what they need. Security is also not an issue, since the machines require codes and other verification techniques to distribute the items inside. This minimizes theft and still ensures EMTs can restock when necessary. The majority of these EMT vending machines are being placed at fire stations since the FDA ruled a few years back that hospitals were no longer allowed to be supply distributors for EMTs and rather were considered end-user.

For any cities or towns that are still catching on to this new trend, acquiring the EMT supply vending machine does represent a significant up-front investment, however, in the long-run, it is well worth the expense. UCaplt offers medical supply vending machines that will reduce shortages of supplies and minimize the costs experienced by these towns. Give us a call today at 877-771-4446.

EMS Supply Vending Machines | Equipment That Saves Lives

Posted on by John Van Horn

Running out of a crucial piece of life-saving equipment is not something EMS teams should have to deal with, unfortunately, it is a reality that many faces all too often.

In the past few years, the Food and Drug Administration passed a law that stated that hospitals were end-users of medical equipment and medication, rather than distributors for EMS crews. This meant that after dropping off a patient for care, the crews could no longer restock their vehicles if needed.

In addition to the reduction in the manufacturing of certain drugs and medical products that don’t bring in a hefty profit from manufacturers, many EMS crews are finding it more and more difficult to get the supplies they need to save lives.

An Innovative New Approach to Stocking Supplies For EMS Crews

Due to the potential of shortages and the inability to restock a vehicle at hospitals, a creative solution was needed and the EMS supply vending machine emerged. Found at local fire stations, medical clinics and hospitals these unique EMS equipment and supply vending machines provide EMS personnel with the medical equipment and supplies that they need on a daily basis to save lives.

Stock EMS Personnel – Minimize Waste

Another issue is a large amount of waste at the end of the month due to certain drugs or equipment not being used by its expiration date, costing hospital inventory management thousands of dollars. Medical supply vending machines make it possible to know when something is nearing expiration and reduce what is stocked to avoid unnecessary costs. This ensures that workers have what they need, without the excessive waste that often follows.

What About Security?

One of the biggest concerns that were introduced with the concept of a pharmaceutical vending machine was security. What would stop an average person from taking what they wanted – even narcotics – from these machines?

The solution is superior security that minimizes the potential for theft. This was achieved with high endurance security glass, fingerprint recognition, and code verification. All potential scenarios were thought through to make this a safe and viable option to get EMS workers the supplies they need.

While EMS equipment and supply vending machines are still a relatively new idea, the popularity of the machines is growing steadily. They offer a viable solution to a problem that is seen across the country. Ensuring that EMS workers have the tools they need to save lives is essential and this is exactly the benefit offered by these first aid vending machines.

UCapIt offers medical supply vending machines and secured locker systems that will meet the standards and security of EMS personnel. Contact UCapIt today to learn more at 877-771-4446.

Healthier Hospital Vending Machines Becoming a Reality

Posted on by John Van Horn

Faced with an overwhelming obesity epidemic across the nation, the United States government is working to increase public access to healthy food at schools. Starting with a major overhaul of the school lunch program which increased access to fruits, vegetables, and whole grains both in the lunchroom and in vending machines, the government is now encouraging healthy eating habits in public places including the hospital setting.

Why Target a Hospital Setting?

Hospitals are where we go to get well, but all too often the food available to patients and visitors doesn’t meet the basic standards for nutrition. In addition, hospitals serve as major employers and influencers in the local communities. They can influence community norms by adopting policies that promote good health in their employees and patrons. In August 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity convened an expert panel to study ways to improve food choices, physical activity, breastfeeding, and tobacco-free environments in hospitals. The panel worked to identify strategies to improve these areas within hospitals and health organizations for both employees, visitors, and patrons and also made recommendations on how to incorporate these strategies into outreach efforts.

Food, Beverage, and Healthy Snack Vending Machine Recommendations for Hospitals

One important recommendation made by the panel was that the hospital’s food policy should cover all venues including cafeterias, vending machines, gift shops, and cafeterias. Offering healthy food in the cafeteria is a great start, but if it doesn’t extend throughout the building the policy declines rapidly ineffectiveness. This recommendation addresses a key finding that many hospital’s vending machines were dominated by high sugar drinks and high energy-dense foods. In other words, foods and drinks had many calories and very little nutritional value.

Another key aspect of the report was that health organizations have a part to play in the greater community, not simply in the lives of their patients. By encouraging patrons and employees alike to engage in healthier behaviors and make better food choices, these organizations are able to impact societal norms and make a difference in the nationwide fight against obesity.

UCapIt is a division of Intelligent Dispensing systems. We have developed automated solutions to the problems associated with dispensing and inventorying pharmaceuticals. To learn more about how UCapIt can work with your organization, visit our website.

The Wittern Group Announces its Commitment to the American Business Act on Climate Pledge

Posted on by John Van Horn

Intelligent Dispensing Solution’s parent company, The Wittern Group, joins 153 companies who have signed the American Business Act on Climate Pledge in their support for action on climate change.

DES MOINES, IOWA – December 7, 2015 – Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, announces The Wittern Group’s commitment to the American Business Act on Climate Pledge.  The official announcement from the White House highlights the commitments from 73 companies, including The Wittern Group, from across the American economy that are joining the American Business Act on Climate Pledge. With this announcement, a total of 154 companies will have signed the Pledge.  These companies have operations in all 50 states, employ nearly 11 million people, represent more than $4.2 trillion in annual revenue, and have a combined market capitalization of over $7 trillion.

By signing the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, The Wittern Group is voicing support for an outcome that takes a strong step forward toward a low-carbon, sustainable future at the COP21 Paris climate negotiations.  As a part of this Pledge, The Wittern Group is demonstrating an ongoing focus on climate action by committing to:

  • Reducing water usage by 10% by 2020
  • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their vending products by 45% by 2025
  • Increasing investment in low-carbon, climate-resilient, and green projects by $2 million by 2025
  • Developing long-term business plans that align with the deep DE carbonization necessary to keep global average temperatures from rising less than 2C

“Sustainability is an important initiative for Intelligent Dispensing Solutions and The Wittern Group as we look to grow our business while remaining agile amid a changing environmental landscape,” commented Heidi Chico, CEO of The Wittern Group and NAMA Board Member.  “By committing to the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, The Wittern Group, along with Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, is taking a leadership role by focusing on initiatives that will increase the profile of the vending industry and demonstrate our industry’s commitment to climate action.”

The Wittern Group is one of seven National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) member companies that have committed to the American Business Act on Climate Pledge.  NAMA is the association representing the $25 billion U.S. vending and refreshment service industry.  These seven companies demonstrate an ongoing commitment to climate action and to voice their support for a strong outcome at the Paris climate negotiations.

“The Wittern Group recognizes that delaying action on climate change will be costly in economic and human terms, while accelerating the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable economy will produce multiple benefits with regard to economic growth, public health, and the well being of the global environment,” commented Heidi Chico, CEO of The Wittern Group and NAMA Board Member.  “The Wittern Group is proud to be a small but integral part in addressing climate change and through this Pledge has committed to ambitious, yet achievable, goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and utilize clean energy alternatives.”

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About The Wittern Group

Founded in 1931 by F.A. Wittern Sr., The Wittern Group provides a full range of products and services to meet all vending needs including design, manufacturing, financing, national and international sales, re-manufacturing programs, parts, and support services. The Wittern Group is structured to help people succeed in vending.  www.wittern.com

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Contact: Heidi Chico // Tel: +1 (515) 271.8425 // E-mail: hchico@wittern.com

Control Your Hospital Inventory with UCapIt’s Locker Systems

Posted on by John Van Horn

For healthcare professionals around the world, inventory control is always a top priority. Not only do you have to make sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have the integral supplies on hand to provide top-notch patient care and other services at all times, but you also need to curb things like theft and loss in any way that you can. A new series of hospital inventory control vending machines from UCapIt have already begin to enable medical, pharmaceutical and EMS professionals to accomplish exactly that.

Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispensers

UCapIt’s Controlled Access Pharmacy vending machines, also commonly referred to as CAP systems, bring with them a huge variety of different benefits that are hard to ignore. Each one of these machines is powered by a revolutionary inventory and tracking system, for example, that makes sure that only authorized users to have access to the important supplies and other contents contained inside.

Hospitals can use a number of different pieces of identification in order to authorize the machine before it dispenses a product. These can include things like PIN numbers, proximity card readers, fingerprint readers, bar code ID scanners and more. These protocols are designed to make sure that the people who actually need supplies have easy access to them, all the while keeping out people who may wish to abuse or even steal the important supplies contained inside the machine.

Actionable Information

The major benefit of UCapIt’s hospital locker systems, however, is one of reporting. Alerts can be sent to key individuals within an organization automatically via e-mail to warn them that stock on a particular product is running low, for example. This same warning can extend to other “need to know” situations like when a product is about to expire when the machine itself has become disconnected from the Internet for whatever reason when the machine has suffered a power outage and more.

The UCapIt machines can also be configured to control the temperature in any given zone down to the degree, allowing you to store temperature-sensitive supplies without worrying about product loss due to things like user error. All of this can also be accomplished remotely using a smartphone or tablet thanks to the cloud.

These are just a few of the many ways that UCapIt’s locker systems are revolutionizing inventory control in the medical profession for the better. Not only is preventing issues like theft or misuse easier than ever, but now these hardworking individuals finally have access to the information that they need to provide the best quality care to patients at all times.

How to Take Control Back in Your Hospital Pharmacy

Posted on by John Van Horn

Drug diversion is an incredibly serious issue that is affecting a huge number of medical facilities across the country. According to a survey conducted by the Mayo Clinic in 2014, drug abuse among those in the general population runs at around 5% annually. The theory is that the number will actually be higher for medical professionals like pharmacy employees, however, because they have convenient access to the drugs that they seek. Now, many organizations are turning to technological advancements to help take back control in their hospital pharmacies once and for all.

The technology that is commonly employed to combat this type of issue involves a machine called an automated dispensing cabinet. Not only do hospitals and other facilities get the convenience that is associated with a medical vending machine, but they also have different layers of security to help deter drug theft and keep criminals at bay. Certain machines can have up to five different authorized access levels, for example, allowing employees instant access to only the products and items that are relevant to do their jobs on a daily basis. All relevant employee information can be recorded for each transaction, keeping a detailed record of who is checking out which item at what time.

One example of an organization that is using this type of technology to curb drug diversion and theft issues is UCapIt. With UCapIt’s Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispenser, for example, all transactions between an employee and a machine are individually tracked and reported. Not only does this help medical facilities keep a better eye on their inventory and alert them to situations where orders may need to be placed, but it also inserts a new level of accountability into the equation. If you always know who is checking out items, you know exactly who to turn to in the event that something goes missing.

With UCapIt’s solutions, EMS professionals can instantly check their hospital pharmacy inventory 24 hours a day, seven days a week – even from remote locations. Some of the security measures that are in place on these devices include fingerprint readers, barcode scanners, proximity card readers, unique PIN numbers and more.

Though drug theft is a major issue at many hospitals and pharmacies around the country, companies like UCapIt are doing everything in their power to put technology to good use and ward off criminals once and for all. With automated dispensing solutions and additional layers of security, organizations won’t have to worry about these types of issues much longer.