This year’s State of Pharmacy Automation contains even more in-depth information than last year, as we are able to realize multi-year trends in automation purchasing and use. On the pages that follow you will find not only current and projected automation adoption data, but also the past trends that have led us to this point. As we all know, it is vital to learn from the past to avoid mistakes in the future. With more comprehensive data than ever before, this year’s report gives you the opportunity to benchmark your past, present, and future decisions regarding automation adoption against other like-sized facilities and the industry as a whole.

We also were pleased to find that almost three quarters of all respondents actively use PP&P as a resource for their automation purchasing decisions. Though we are always happy to hear positive feedback from our readers about how the articles in PP&P assist in purchasing and provide best practice guidance, we want to make sure you take advantage of all the resources PP&P provides beyond just reading each monthly issue.

For example, in reading page 60 on outpatient pharmacy operations you may be surprised to learn of the significant increase over 2008 in the number of facilities operating an outpatient pharmacy. In these difficult economic times, many facilities have identified the apparent value of the revenue boosting capabilities an outpatient pharmacy can bring (71% of respondents either have one in place or are planning to implement one soon) and we can provide the launching pad for your facility. You can receive more information by circling number 915 on the enclosed reader service card, and a quick search at www.pppmag.com will yield some great articles on how others have made this program work. A quick stop at www.findit.pppmag.com will show you all the vendors working in this marketplace.

With all this readily available data you can make a persuasive presentation to your administration. Here at PP&P, we make it easy for you to take full advantage of the information we have compiled—important market research and data that presents the past, present, and future of pharmacy automation. We look forward to watching intently how the rest of 2009 unfolds, and preparing for even more exciting developments in 2010!

All the best,

R. Mitchell Halvorsen

Publisher

Select charts and graphs from the 2009 State of Pharmacy Automation are available as PowerPoint slides for your use. Click here to download the slides. 

Did you know that Pharmacy Purchasing & Products magazine is also available online in the exact layout and appearance of the print edition? It includes more interactive features, such as the ability to access websites and request more information with the click of a mouse. To preview our digital edition, click here!