76 November 08 www. bus- ex. com

November 08 www. bus- ex. com 77 McKesson Automation led to its purchase by McKesson Corporation – the longest- operating company in healthcare today, marking its 175th anniversary this year. With software and hardware technology installed in more than 70 percent of the nation's hospitals with more than 200 beds, McKesson is the largest pharmaceutical distributor in North America and the leading healthcare IT company. " At McKesson Automation, our focus is to help hospitals distribute medication, from the pharmacy to the patient's bedside, ensuring accuracy and safety every step of the way," says Zirnsak. Over the past ten years, the company has invested heavily in research and development, culminating in the design of one of its most successful product solutions, the AcuDose- Rx medication dispensing cabinet. " This advanced system is used in patient care areas in hospitals, enabling nurses to safely dispense medications on the same floor where the patients are located," says Zirnsak. " We use advanced software to provide the most secure, controlled access to the medications in each cabinet. All of the drawers are locked and contain a number of locked pockets that can only be accessed by authorized personnel. So for example, if a patient is in need of morphine, only an authorized nurse can log onto the system to dispense the medication. Once the appropriate patient is selected, the specific drawer and pocket containing morphine unlocks, allowing the nurse to safely dispense only the needed medication. " Our hardware and software are fully Andrew Pelis learns how lean manufacturing, six sigma and an exceptional supply chain keep McKesson Automation at the forefront of pharmaceutical distribution Improvement pioneer B ased in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, McKesson Automation, Inc. began as Automated Healthcare, a company founded in 1987 by Sean McDonald, one of healthcare's leading technology innovators. " Back then, the company focused on one product – ROBOT– Rx – a high-volume, bar- code- driven automated medication storage and dispensing system located in the central pharmacy," explains David Zirnsak, director of manufacturing at the 100,000 square foot site. By 1996, Automated Healthcare's success had