Category: Medical Vending Machines

13 Year Old CEO Hopes to Bring His “RecMed First Aid Kits” to Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

EMS supply vending machines configured to dispense a first aid kit on demand is the brainchild of 13-year-old CEO Taylor Rosenthal. Rosenthal’s company, RecMed First Aid Kits, was developed after a conversation with his parents who are both medical professionals and an opportunity presented by an entrepreneurial class at Opelika Middle School in Opelika, Alabama.

The kits contain basic medical supplies that could be useful to treat minor injuries on the sports field. Antibiotic sprays, bandages, adhesive tape, gauze pads and other first aid supplies come neatly packed in a clear plastic zippered case. Rosenthal has witnessed the need for such kits first-hand. “I mean I see it all the time…kids getting hurt at the ball fields playing baseball or something…and parents just go crazy…”

Rosenthal is working with The Round House Startup Space in Opelika to bring his dream first aid supply vending machines to fruition. According to Kyle Sandler, founder of The Round House, Rosenthal is a particularly devoted, hard-working CEO. Sandler had to essentially kick the teen out of the startup space to send him home on Christmas Eve to spend the holiday at home with his family.

Sandler also remarked that Rosenthal’s age affects how he views vending machines. According to Sandler, “… since he’s 13 and not 25… he’s more used to Redbox… so we made a couple of calls and now we have a computer-aided robotic vending machine in the works…” Eco ATM and RedBox have come on board to help Rosenthal get his product to market.

While sports fields were Rosenthal’s initial inspiration for the RecMed First Aid Kit vending machines, he doesn’t see athletic complexes as the solitary market for his product. He believes that anywhere families gather for recreation would present a feasible marketplace. He is already in talks with Six Flags Amusement Parks officials to places RecMed first aid vending machines in the parks to deal with the minor cuts and scrapes that young children are so prone to.

Rosenthal advanced to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy regional semifinals in Boca Raton in May 2015.

Source:

http://www.wltz.com/story/29172406/opelika-teen-competing-in-the-young-entrepreneurs-academy-regional-finals

Vending Machines Supplied With Breastfeeding Equipment

Posted on by John Van Horn

Vending machine technology has certainly come a long way in the last several decades. No longer are vending machines only designed to provide you with a quick snack in between meals, or something to drink when you’re thirsty at work or school. Medical vending machines and similar types of automated solutions are making people’s lives easier across a wide range of different industries on a daily basis. Case in point: a new type of vending machine is specifically designed to provide working mothers with the tools they need to breastfeed their children while on the job.

It’s a situation that is all too familiar to women who are trying to maintain a career and raise a family at the same time: they’re on the job and ready to breastfeed, only to realize that they’ve forgotten a storage bag or a valve or some other important item at home that morning in their haste. Their child needs to eat, but they don’t have what they need and find themselves in a tricky predicament.

Thanks to a new type of vending machine technology, these fears are well and truly a thing of the past. A vending machine that was recently installed at Johns Hopkins Hospital allows working mothers to purchase a wide range of different breastfeeding tools and equipment at a moment’s notice. It is the first of its kind, though it certainly will not be the last.

The breastfeeding equipment vending machine stocks everything that a mother would need to successfully breastfeed her child, from storage bottles to nipple cream to pump accessories and everything in between. The machine was created by Mega Stoltzfus, who is employed by Johns Hopkins in the Office of Work, Life and Engagement.

Stoltzfus indicated that inspiration hit her when she was walking through an airport and realized how far vending machine technology has come even in the last decade. As someone who previously needed to work odd hours and breastfeed to the job herself, she decided to work directly with a manufacturer to design a specialized vending machine solution for people like her.

Because the type of equipment that is being sold in the vending machine is considered to be an employee benefit, it is all available at a steep discount. Any mother who finds that she needs to use the machine can pay for her items using a debit or credit card – it really is that simple.

Working mothers who are not employed by Johns Hopkins won’t have to wait long to get in on this new technology. Other institutions around the country have already expressed interest in similar EMS supply vending machines of their own.

Source:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/maryland-family/now/bal-johns-hopkins-introduces-a-vending-machine-for-breastfeeding-mothers-20140710-story.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2708524/Vending-machines-containing-breastfeeding-equipment-rolled-Baltimore-hospital-attempt-cater-working-moms.html

ASU Student Health Center Does Not Live Up To Student Demands

Posted on by John Van Horn

One of the many positive attributes of the Student Health Center at ASU has to do with how forward-thinking the people that run it actually are. Not only does it allow students to make appointments on the Internet, but it also features both pharmaceutical vending machines and advanced medical procedures that are not available in any other similar location in the area.

Despite this, however, a recent study that was conducted realized that the ASU Student Health Center is still not living up to the demands of the students that actually go there, regardless of how advanced the facility may be on paper.

One of the many issues that students from ASU have to deal with involves longer than average wait times for the services they need, even if they’ve used the online portal to make the necessary appointment ahead of time. The director of the facility, Allan Markus, indicated that this was a problem with the building’s construction and had nothing to do with staffing or other types of services offered. The building was last expanded in 1969, he says, and simply does not offer the space required to meet up with the demands of the expanding school around it.

Things have not improved very much for the students since 2011. According to StatePress.com, the average appointment for a non-specialist is usually averaging around four days. More than that, the average time that a student has to wait to register for an appointment at all can be over an hour and a half in some extreme circumstances.

The facility is also in something of a Catch-22 situation. All modifications to the center are handled via fees that are billed to student accounts. Because there are too many students to handle, the quality of the service that the students are literally paying for by way of tuition is suffering as a result. At that point, it becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy that is hard to break away from.

One of the ways in which ASU Student Health Center officials could relieve many of these issues, however, has to do with wider adoption of medical vending machines across the facility. College medical vending machines are a great way to automate certain processes that used to take a great deal of time, money and energy to see through. If a student was coming into the facility to fill a prescription, for example, they wouldn’t necessarily have to wait in such a long line in order to do so.

Medical vending machines can also be a great boost to the staff, as they provide easy access to the important types of equipment that they are likely to use while treating students on a daily basis.

Robot Inventory Drug Control at University Health Services

Posted on by John Van Horn

The pharmacy at Penn State University’s Student Health Center has employed a robot lovingly named “Rex” to do everything from count pills to fill prescription bottles by way of automated pharmaceutical inventory control.

Rex is officially known as a “collating control center robotic prescription-dispensing machine,” which is essentially an automated medical vending machine on a much larger scale. Doris Guanowsky, the senior associate director at University Health Services at Penn State, says that this is exactly the type of technological innovation that is allowing them to serve and care for a greater number of people with each passing day. Rex is currently being used to fill the prescriptions of employees, students, retirees and everyone in between.

Guanowsky indicated that it is not common for a university to have this type of technology at all, let alone working in the Student Health Center. However, the huge volume of patients and prescriptions that the Center is responsible necessitated this emphasis on the best that modern technology has to offer. Over the 2013 to 2014 season alone, University Health Services filled more than 163,000 prescriptions. To put that into slightly different terms, that equates to between 600 and 1,000 prescriptions each and every day.

Filling a prescription is a lot more than just putting pills into a bottle. Patients have to be communicated with, insurance claims need to be properly filed, labels need to be printed en masse and more. By automating a large portion of these processes and delegating that responsibility to Rex, the Center is not only able to keep costs down but can also turn over a higher number of prescriptions per day.

In many ways, a college pharmacy vending machine solution like Rex is powered on similar technology to the type that UCapIt has been incorporating into its solutions for over 80 years. UCapIt provides a wide range of different technological solutions that healthcare providers depend on daily. The CAP 5, for example, allows healthcare professionals to have complete control over the dispensing of the widest variety of products and medical supplies. The CAP 5 Refrigerated adds in the ability to control an environment’s climate, increasing the total number of items that can be stored based on those conditions.

One thing is for sure: between the solutions that UCapIt provides and the ways in which medical centers like the one at Penn State are embracing modern technology, everyone is benefiting – from patients to healthcare practitioners and everyone in between.

Benefits of Using Pharmaceutical Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

Dispensers-TrioAn average U.S. adult takes more than 11 prescription medications, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, and senior citizens fill more than 31 prescriptions annually. The need for prescriptions contributes to the high cost of medical care, but some companies have found a way to circumvent the middle man.

Pharmaceutical dispensing machines for stable patients receiving prescriptions for diagnosed illnesses is becoming a cost and time-saving solution. This prescription dispenser machine allows consumers to pick up prescriptions after hours, which can be helpful for busy individuals and families to avoid long lines and lengthy conversations in the traditional pharmacy.

The Process

The process for filling a prescription at a healthcare medical vending machine is not much different compared with a traditional pharmacy prescription. A consumer phones a pharmacy to order a prescription. A pharmacist fills the prescription and adds it to a prescription dispenser machine where a consumer can pick it up, using a passcode, and paying with a credit or debit card.

Other pharmaceutical vending machines will accept prescriptions from the patient. These prescription dispensing machines are used overseas and in the U.S., which can be advantageous for busy hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and rural communities that have less access to medical care. Pharmaceutical supplies can also be among the vending machine products.

Some pharmacy dispensing machine companies require the patient to speak with a pharmacist by video phone before the prescription can be dispensed.

The Advantages

While the traditional pharmacist is helpful in the cases when a patient is prescribed a new, unfamiliar drug, because she can help explain potential side effects and discuss any concerns, a familiar drug obtained by refill may not require the human interaction element. Bypassing it with a pharmaceutical dispenser machine can save time and money, and improve customer service through a patient-centered model.

Other advantages of prescription vending machines include removing the barrier to patients feeling empowered to handle health-related matters more independently.

Automated Vending Control Over Pharmaceuticals & Accountability

Posted on by John Van Horn

Experts estimate that at least 10% of the general population will have a problem with dependency on drugs or alcohol at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, hospitals have learned that their nurses and tech staff are not immune to addiction and dependency issues any more than others despite their extensive medical training. Nurses, in particular, have more direct access to controlled pharmaceutical substances than almost any other medical professional.

According to Kimberly New, a medication security consultant and executive board member of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, “Nurses are the No. 1 care provider with regular access to controlled substances…We detect a lot more nurses than pharmacy staff diverting medications in inpatient settings.”

Long term care facilities are most susceptible to the problem of diversion, or theft of controlled substances by nurses. Unlike 80 percent of hospitals, medication dispensing in these facilities lacks automation. Instead, each time a nurse requires a medication for a patient, he or she typically removes it from a locked supply cabinet and manually charts the removal recording vital information such as date, time, the name of the patient, and the nurse responsible for its removal. When shifts change, the incoming nurse verifies the totals with the outgoing nurse.  This process is rife with opportunity for cover up of unauthorized access to controlled substances as well as simple human error.

UCapIt, a division of Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, is developing innovative vending solutions to prevent diversion. With a medical supply vending machine like UCapIt’s lockers or their pharmaceutical vending machine that looks more like a traditional vending machine, care facilities are better able to control access and inventory of medications and supplies.

The benefits of this new generation of medical vending machine services are undeniable.  Medical professionals face daily challenges of restricting access, accounting for inventory and ensuring that product doesn’t expire before it is used.

Automation can help address each of these issues, in particular with the issue of diversion and theft. Automated medical storage creates accountability by restricting access to personnel who use an authorized pin number, bar code scanner, or biometric such as a fingerprint to access the machine’s contents. Transactions are recorded automatically and available to inventory managers and nursing supervisors via the Internet.  A pattern of diversion of medication by nurses quickly becomes obvious.

Diversion of pharmaceutical supplies by nurses can be addressed and prevented by secure vending automation. A pharmaceutical vending machine or medical vending machine automates transactions and provides detailed records of access.

Safe and Secure with the CAP 3 and CAP 3 Refrigerated Vending Units

Posted on by John Van Horn

CAP is an acronym that stands for “Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispensing.” It refers to a type of system that medical institutions have adopted with enthusiasm regarding the dispensing of EMS supplies, the management of hospital inventory and more. The CAP system in particular was created by UCapIt to be an ideal solution for addressing control problems that are commonly associated with keeping track of pharmaceutical inventory, distributing products and more. Two of the most recent state-of-the-art products that are available to consumers are the CAP 3 and the CAP 3 Refrigerated Medical Vending Machines.

When you take a look at what the CAP 3 vending unit has to offer, it’s easy to see why it is making waves in terms of pharmaceutical supplies. The standard configuration of the CAP 3 involves 384 items, though the capacity can vary depending on the tray configurations that are selected. All communication is Web-based, meaning that diagnostic and user information can be sent over a nearby Internet connection. Standard features of the CAP 3 include either a barcode or magnetic stripe reader (depending on your preferences), the patented iVend Delivery Sensor System, a Parrot Door that is designed to enable the reuse of protective bags, fluorescent lighting and more. The CAP 3 is also compliant with the rules and regulations dictated by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The CAP 3 is available in blue, black or red, allowing you to make sure that your unit fits in with the current visual aesthetic of your workplace. Custom colors are also available on request.

The CAP 3 refrigerated vending machine has all of the advanced features that were found in the CAP 3, only elevated to the next level. The standard configuration includes 412 items, though capacity varies depending on the selected tray configurations as was true with its predecessor. In addition to the iVend Delivery Sensor System and a barcode or magnetic stripe reader, the CAP 3 Refrigerated Vending unit also features fully functional LED lighting for increased visibility and high energy efficiency at all times. A heated glass option is also available that can be turned on and off at will.

When it comes to selecting pharmaceutical vending units, medical professionals need to know that the important equipment contained inside is always as safe and secure as possible. Both the CAP 3 and the CAP 3 Refrigerated Unit are computer-controlled to eliminate the possibility of user error and have been created with the highest construction standards possible. Each machine is verified to perform at the highest level possible to help keep hospital inventory available and secure at all times.

EMS Medical Supply Shortages: A Solution

Posted on by John Van Horn

Within the medical industry, pharmacy inventory is in a high-stakes gamble with supply shortages. A medical vending machine is important for local paramedics, and several townships have installed machines capable of dispensing drugs and equipment—rather than the traditional snack food and beverages.

The Columbus Dispatch has featured such inclusions within their depiction of a pharmaceutical vending machine providing innovative solutions for emergency medical supplies, combating cost increases with locally provided medication and pharmaceuticals.

Instant Supply and Quick Medical Inventory Solutions

Each EMS medical vending machine provides a variety of solutions for ailments acknowledged by the Food and Drug Administration, alerting paramedics when stocked equipment or drugs are in low supply. Additionally, soon-to-expire substances are returned to distributors—exchanged for credit.

Revolutionary Design

Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispensers utilize updated tracking and inventory tracking technology. This technology delivers a number of processes, optimizing the machine for use and substance maintenance:

  •         EMS supply tracking
  •         Instant medication expense recording
  •         Control and monitoring of inventory
  •         Usage transparency

Each Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispenser enables and empowers EMS professionals—granting them instant access of units on a 24/7 basis. Intensive identification protocols are utilized, securing the unit through several mechanisms:

  •         Proximity card reader
  •         Pin number
  •         Bar code identification scanner
  •         Biometric fingerprint reader
  •         Combination lock mechanism

Regulation and Industry Security

Every system withdraw is cataloged, regulated and time stamped through individual use. Authority level clearance is always tight, so industry regulations are kept intact throughout servicing. Additionally, every Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispenser may be streamlined to access email notifications—contacting management when controlled substances are dispensed.

Such boundaries are available with simple inclusions: internet access and a laptop. Managers across the world can access, manage and utilize a variety of Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispenser items, each located within a variety of locations.

Restock Awareness and Recording

Within the industry, up-to-date inventories are vital, and expenses within pharmaceutical realms have been reduced to mere hundreds of dollars where CAP machines are utilized—replacing the previous multiple-thousand-dollar expenses ambulances and hospitals normally incurred.

When authorized staff identification has been established, CAP machines may be programmed to provide a number of functions, including:

  •         Vehicle-specified access
  •         Incident-specific access
  •         Witness identification approval

Often, an EMS Manager is required during unlocking and dispensing, ensuring control over narcotic kits, oxygen, laptops and back boards. Where storeroom security and accountability are concerned, CAP machines effectively regulate usage, expiration rates and location.

A Future of Consistency

Pharmaceutical and emergency providers have thrived where Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispensers are provided—making alerts simple while managing administrative tasks. Individuals obtain customized usage reports, facilitating growth within each unit-equipped sector. Management and billing purposes are well-maintained, and reports are delivered daily, weekly or during custom timeframes.

Where inventory managers are considered, automatic tracking optimizes inventory logging, making instant recording much more than a primary function. The Controlled Access Pharmaceutical Dispenser will likely become an industry constant within the future, redefining EMS services while assisting patients on-site, with complete accessibility, regulation and ease-of-use for industry professionals. The medical industry appears bright, and the CAP Dispenser is paving the way.

Source:

https://www.boundtree.com/ucapit.aspx

Keep Controlled Substances Contained and Under Your Control

Posted on by John Van Horn

These days, many hospitals and other medical facilities find themselves in a similar predicament regarding the storage and tracking of emergency medical supplies. These supplies may include anything from controlled substances and oxygen tanks to scrubs and uniforms. In many facilities, a hospital manager may need to be present in order for an EMS or other hospital employee to obtain the inventory needed from the facility’s stock. And other inventory tracking systems, such as employee ID logs and card readers, can (and sometimes are) abused.

Fortunately, there is a way for medical facilities these days to keep the controlled substances and other pharmaceutical supplies that they need safely contained and tracked. Specifically, custom vending solutions may be the way to go.

How Do Medical Vending Systems Work?

While on the surface, a vending machine may not seem like the most secure means of dispensing valuable hospital inventory, the fact is that technology has made it possible for these custom vending machines not only to dispense items, but to do so securely.

Specifically, a custom medical vending system can be programmed to work with a medical facility’s existing security measures. Whether the facility relies on employee access codes, card readers, fingerprint readers, or a combination of these, the machine can be designed and programmed to require that same input before dispensing any supplies to the user.

Another great feature of these systems is that each transaction is carefully tracked; therefore, once an item is dispensed, the facility’s inventory is automatically updated to reflect this. If desired, the system can automatically order more inventory when the system determines that the supply of a particular item is low. As a result medical facilities save time and money when they convert to such a system.

Medical Vending Systems and Security

Of course, the ultimate priority of any medical facility dealing with pharmacy inventory (especially controlled substances) is making sure that nothing falls into the wrong hands. Fortunately, custom medical vending systems are more secure than any other system currently available.

Specifically, these systems track, catalog, timestamp, and regulate the dispensing of all supplies. In fact, it’s even possible to set the system up so that a manager receives an automatic e-mail any time inventory is dispensed from the machine. This e-mail can contain information about what was dispensed and who requested it. This not only adds security to the process and cuts down on instances of theft but also saves facilities the time and money required to have a manager on site every time inventory is requested by an employee.

Furthermore, these vending systems are available not only for hospital inventory, but for employee uniforms such as scrubs and other medical retail as well. Whether a medical facility is in need of a few simple vending machines for the cafeteria or something as secure as a controlled substance vending system, the options are available. These automated medical inventory control options can save medical facilities a great deal of money in the long run.

More Hospitals are now Investing in Scrub Stocked Vending Machines, ScrubTrak

Posted on by John Van Horn

There are more than a few ambulatory surgery programs that have become burdened with overwhelming overhead expenses, especially when it comes to proper apparel and inventory management in the workplace. As a solution, many of these programs have opted for controlled dispensing of scrubs and other apparel. Surprisingly, though, there are many expenses that can go along with dispensing scrubs. Is there a solution? Of course there is, and it comes in the form of ScrubTrak.

Deciding if Scrub Vending Machines Are Right For Your Health Care Facility?

Are your hospital employees required to wear scrubs? If yes, then a vending machine which dispenses all different types of scrubs will likely do very well in your office. For medical centers that do require scrubs, ScrubTrak provides your workers with the ability to purchase or rent scrubs out of a vending machine which can boost employee morale as well as productivity levels; this in return can lead to better patient care.

With a scrub vending machine, your medical office will enjoy many benefits and a quality solution to inventory shrinkage in relation to uniforms and scrubs. You can have your ScrubTrak machine customized to meet your specifications. For instance, you can have it set up so that each employee can rent two pairs of scrubs for free. For each additional pair that they want, they will need to return one of the free pairs. If they don’t have a free pair to return, they will have to pay for any additional scrub rentals.

Another excellent feature of ScrubTrak is that scrubs can be separated by color and size, making it exceptionally simple to rent or purchase a pair of scrubs. And with a return slot, the typical scrub return area is no longer needed, giving you optimal space to treat even more patients.

To learn more about ScrubTrak and the many advantageous features that it offers, contact Intelligent Dispensing Solutions today. We offer a variety of vending options that are ideal for any healthcare setting, including ScrubTrak, healthy vending machines, and even retail vending. We take the headache out of vending contracts, making sure that you aren’t hit with any surprises. We are here to exceed your expectations by providing you with today’s latest vending technology.