Sakakawea Medical Center has introduced a new InstyMeds dispensing machine, giving patients 24/7 access to one-time prescription medications right at the hospital.
New Machine Aids Patient Prescription Access
By: Daniel Arens, Hazen Star Editor
Thanks to support from the Sakakawea Medical Center Auxiliary, patients at SMC are now able to access one-time prescriptions directly at the hospital and 24/7 through a new dispensing machine.
During the week of Nov. 17, SMC has an implementation week for their new InstyMeds machine. Based out of Minnesota, InstyMeds is a full automated machine that acts much like an ATM machine or a concessions machine, except that it dispenses prescription medications rather than money or candy bars.
“It is essentially a vending machine for medications,” Alyssa Wolden, PharmD and Director of Pharmacy at SMC, said. “It is really to fill a gap we noticed with our patients.” She said the decision to make the purchase came after hearing from residents and going through an internal quality assessment.
Wolden said InstyMeds is for one-time use prescriptions that originate from a prescription prescribed by a doctor or provider. Because InstyMeds is available 24/7, it can be accessed when the retail drug store is closed.
She added that some rural residents forget to fill their prescription orders and then have to make a trip into town. The purpose of InstyMeds is to help fill these gaps in prescription coverage when there is a prescription that arises out of an appointment.
“We also do stock a handful of over-the-counter products,” Wolden added. She said these are limited, and SMC tries to provide commonly-requested medications (such as medication for babies with fevers).
“What we stock in there can be changed base on need,” she said. After a prescription is made at an appointment, patients will be given a sheet with a voucher code on it, similar to a car wash. They can go to the machine (located near the ER entrance to the hospital) and type the code in to pull up their prescription, then have the InstyMeds machine dispense the medication.
There is also a telephone at the machine, which people can use to call for assistance if necessary.
“So far, it has gone really well,” Wolden said. “Usually there are a few things you have to get worked out with new technology, but we have not had any issues for anyone so far.”
Sakakawea Medical Center Auxiliary provided SMC with a $10,000 check to help with the purchase of the InstyMeds machine in June. The money was raised through auxiliary fundraising, in particular the annual community turkey dinner put on in April.
“We are grateful for the community support we receive that allows us to help the hospital purchase equipment like this,” Pam Fitzgerald with SMC Auxiliary said during the June check presentation.
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