Local Filling vs Central Filling
Local filling is the technical term for sorting and labeling all medication packages locally and in-house. In contrast, central filling involves the sorting process taking place at one location, from where everything is then delivered ready-made to the pharmacist. There are various approaches to local filling solutions. Here is an overview.
Manual sorting
anual sorting and labeling of medication packages are done with the assistance of the pharmacy information system AIS (Pharmacy Information System).
Software solutions
A software-based service manages and controls the sorting process, often affiliated with a wholesale distributor.
Inventory at the supplier
Storage of medications and delivering them separately and labeled when the demand arises.
Automatic sorter machine
Specifically developed automatic sorting solutions for retail pharmacies..
Handmatig Sorteren
Software oplossingen
Voorraadrobot bij de groothandel
Opslag van geneesmiddelen en deze afzonderlijk en geëtiketteerd uitleveren wanneer de vraag daar is.
Automatische sorteermachine
Possible disadvantages of Central Filling
Besides Local Filling, the wholesale distributor offers the option of outsourcing prescription processing, known as Central Filling, where the packaging and labeling of repeat medications take place at an external location.
When considering the transfer of such core activities from the pharmacy to the wholesale distributor, a thorough assessment of the advantages and disadvantages must be made.
- The pharmacy becomes less autonomous and increasingly dependent on the wholesale distributor.
- The pharmacist lacks insight into the status of the prescription-level order.
- More time is lost between sorting and delivery to the customer, often with an overnight delay, while with local filling, delivery can be made on the same day.
- The profit margins of the pharmacy are getting smaller, especially with growing volumes, automating local filling can lead to higher returns.
“Reducing the costs per prescription line with 50% is more the rule than the exception!”
– Jan Willem De Bruin – Directeur/ eigenaar
Substantial savings with Local filling
The prevailing belief that it is more effective and cheaper to switch from Local Filling to Central Filling is outdated with the introduction of the Farma Sort sorting machine. With these efficient sorting solutions, the logistics within a pharmacy can be fully automated from A to Z with a relatively low investment. This way of working results in substantial savings compared to Central Filling, and a halving of the costs per prescription line is more of a rule than an exception!
Local Filling interface with Track & Trace
Through integrations with various Track & Trace systems, Easy, Roto, and Speed Filling options are available that are not possible with Central Filling. This allows the prescription to be directly assigned to a pickup location, and the status of a prescription can be viewed at any time. This integration saves a lot of work for the pharmacy staff.
Would you like to know whether our sorting solution is profitable for your pharmacy?
Check our calculation tool!
Our Sorter solutions:
