From the Colorado Springs Gazette:
A newcomer to the world of vending machines has joined the likes of sodas, candy, DVDs and toiletries — drugs.
Integrity Urgent Care … in northeast Colorado Springs recently installed a machine stocked with dozens of common prescriptions — antibiotics, painkillers, asthma inhalers and oral steroids. It dispenses patients’ medications like a bag of potato chips or package of Skittles, and it is the first such machine in Colorado, according to the Minneapolis-based manufacturer, InstyMeds.
The idea is to save patients the hassle of going to a pharmacy, having to wait in line for medicine, or going on a late-night search to have a prescription filled.
“It’s a lot like ordering a candy bar out of a candy machine,” said 32-year-old April Salladay, who was treated at the clinic Monday for a sinus infection and laryngitis. She paid $32 for the antibiotic Augmentin, which had been prescribed just minutes earlier. She said she entered a number, answered a couple of questions on a touch screen, and two minutes later retrieved her medicine from a bin. The machine sits inside the clinic between the nurses’ station and the reception desk.
Currently the machine is not set up to process insurance claims — that likely will change in the next six months, and it has so far proved most popular with self-payers, said Lori Japp, a physician assistant and co-manager at Integrity. But some insured patients, including Salladay, are willing to pay for the drug outright to avoid the extra errand. Salladay’s $32 was likely more than her co-pay, she said, but the difference was worth avoiding a stop by the pharmacy when she was feeling ill.
HI,
AWESOME CREATION! I just thought of this idea recently.. I might have a couple ideas that might be of some assistance if interested let me know!
Dear Sir or Madam,
My name is Nino Iarajuli and I am a marketing manager at “Aversi” LTD.
Aversi is the largest pharmaceutical company in Georgia. It owns over 200 drug stores on the country’s scale.
We are interested in pharmacy vending machine.
We kindly ask you to write us its cost and purchase conditions or send us your offer and price list.
Best Regards,
Nino Iarajuli