New automated blister card dispensing offered at local pharmacy

John's Pharmacy and John's RX is the only pharmacy in the region to offer automated blister card dispensing. The machine fully automates the dispensing of oral solids including pills, tablets, and capsules. The machine selects a blister card, counts the right number of the right medication and strength, accurately places each pill in the right blister for each day, seals and labels the card for each patient.

All of this is done in a fraction of the time it takes to complete the same steps by hand and makes prescription errors less likely, said pharmacist John McMullin, president/owner.

This technology will benefit long term care patients served by John's RX and retail customers who request to have their medications dispensed in blister cards rather than bottles at John's Pharmacy.

Last year, John's Pharmacy became the first independent retail pharmacy in Cape Girardeau to a robotic automated dispensing system. This robot, known as DOSIS L60, automates dispensing into plastic bottles and improves accuracy and efficiency in the retail pharmacy, McMullin said.

"At John's Pharmacy, we built our business on providing fast, personalized service and high-quality patient care, but like many pharmacies in America today, we have more people taking more medications. DOSIS L60 helps us work smarter, not harder, allowing us to focus on the service and care the residents at our facilities receive," McMullin said.