Swisslog rolls out first robot for med delivery

Tuesday December 4, 2018 Tags: Broomfield, Swisslog Healthcare , Relay robot, Anthony Pugliese, Michael Blondin

BROOMFIELD -- Swisslog Healthcare, a leading supplier of medication supply chain management solutions, is demonstrating Relay robot at the American Society of Health System Pharmacy (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting, Dec. 2-6, in Anaheim, CA.

Designed and developed by Savioke, Relay is healthcare's first front-of-house autonomous service robot.

With more than 2,300 pneumatic tube systems across the U.S., Swisslog Healthcare said it is no stranger to automated transport of medications, blood, laboratory samples and other patient-critical items.

"An ideal solution for supplementing pharmacy couriers during busy and off hours, Relay is the perfect bridge between our portfolios of transport and pharmacy automation," said Anthony Pugliese, Swisslog’s senior VP of sales.

"While laboratory departments have been some of the earliest adopters of mobile robotics, we're seeing a surge of interest from hospital pharmacies – both inpatient and outpatient services."

In addition to productivity gains from higher staff utilization, the company's hospital pharmacy clients also utilize Relay for transporting hazardous medications, such as chemotherapy, which can't be sent through a tube system.

"One of our university hospital clients is using Relay to transport infusion medications to patient care areas, freeing up pharmacy staff for more meaningful work," said Michael Blondin, Swisslog’s VP of solutions management.

Able to operate elevators and navigate safely around people and obstacles, Relay can be a secure, trackable component of any comprehensive chain-of-custody program, the company said.

Another Swisslog Healthcare client, Hutchinson Health, is utilizing the robot to deliver laboratory samples from the outpatient cancer center to the lab, enabling swift analysis and preparation of chemotherapy medication.