![]() ![]() And given that a significant percentage of patients, even with a prescription from a doctor in hand, never end up going to a pharmacy and getting it filled, supporters also say the convenience of getting drugs directly from doctors can help close a crucial compliance gap and improve overall patient health. The arrangement, supporters argue, can also bypass the elaborate and opaque vagaries of retail drug pricing that often leave patients paying far more for drugs at the pharmacy than is necessary. Even a small medical practice, the company says, can make five-figure profits through the machine each year.Īdvocates for in-office dispensing argue that it is both more convenient and cheaper for patients, and some say it can also bring in extra revenue to doctors. The whole process takes around 70 seconds-and the VendRx machine accepts credit cards. The machine then ferries the drug to a delivery slot. This sends a mechanical arm whirring to the correct slot, where it grasps a pre-packaged, pre-counted bottle of medicine and shuttles it to a small printer for labeling. On the way out the door, the patient can stop and tap their name and date of birth onto the touchscreen. When a doctor prescribes a drug, VendRx software routes a record of the prescription to the machine. Inside, the system stocks up to 500 packages of medication, each nestled in a v-shaped notch. (Samantha Jefferies, executive director of that group, is now on VendRx’s board.)įrom the outside, the machine is a tall cabinet of off-white powder-coated steel, fitted with a large touchscreen. ![]() The VendRx system dispensed its first bottle of medicine to a patient at the offices of Ross Legacy Medical Group in Mission Viejo, California in 2017. ![]() When the relationship with the firm soured, Jefferies says he took the not-yet-completed prototype and enlisted a new engineer, building the rest of the machine in the team’s own warehouse. The next year, they filed the first of four patents on a device “for dispensing beneficial products.” To build it, Jefferies and his collaborators hired a firm that takes standard snack vending systems-“just normal candy machines, for lack of a better word,” Jefferies said-and soups them up for other applications. In 2011, the group received a first round of investor funding and incorporated a company, VendRx. Their idea was straightforward: to build a pharmaceutical vending machine that would sit directly inside a doctor’s office or clinic. On the venture capital platform F6S, he describes himself as a “mech engineer, six-sigma black belt, lean expert, and supply chain guru.” After hearing from his sister, Jefferies looped in a couple other engineers and began sketching out plans. Trent Jefferies had served in the US Army Corps of Engineers, worked as an engineer for Black & Decker, and managed materials and logistics for a company that builds carbon fiber parts for airplanes. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |