[sghiassy]

Honest question, why aren’t pills dispensed by machines?

I get that a pharmacist should review the prescription. And let’s say you even want employee-customer interaction; which is great.

But dispensing X pills from one bottle to another bottle is a solved problem right?

[estearum]

Machines cost a ton of money and need to be maintained?

As those two variables change, I'm sure they will replace the dispensing function for pharmacists. In fact this already does happen at a lot of pharmacies these days. Machines put the pills in bottles, then a pharmacist hands the bottle to you.

[DriverDaily]

I think that’s the idea behind those centralized pharmacies like Amazon health. Easier than putting a pill dispensing assembly line in every CVS.

[trollbridge]

A pharmacy tech actually counts the pills if they move them from Bottle A to Bottle B, it is not particularly time consuming, and it isn't a particularly skilled position. Starts at $14 an hour around me and tops out around $23.

[a2tech]

They are in large setups. Including mail order and bulk dispensing places (like Walmart pharmacy—most pills are dispensed at central locations and delivered to the store prepackaged).

[StephenAmar]

Well, in many countries, pharmacies just dispense prepackaged packs and bottles. No counting involved.

[dyauspitr]

Who packages them?

[fyver]

Automated machines in pharma factories.

[dyauspitr]

That doesn’t make sense if someone walks in off the street for a prescription you’re not going to get factory package medicine.

[AussieWog93]

I could imagine a machine like this would cost something on the order of $100k, require ongoing maintenance and wouldn't really solve any problems/bottlenecks at your typical local pharmacy.

It's not like you could replace the pharmacist with a machine.

[irishcoffee]

Coin machines are really solid at accepting money. I feel like it’s a solved problem.

Edit: I’m dumb, the order of operations is backwards. You’re right, it’ll never be solved.

[calvinmorrison]

There are pill counter machines! it's a solved problem for sure.