“Hey, are you inside this thing?” It’s a question that pharmacist Wendy Wilcoxon and pharmacy technician Tania Canales have been asked a number of times – and sometimes it’s a serious question.
Wilcoxon and Canales are part of the Texas Health Medical Support team that runs the 17 pharmacy kiosks at Texas Health Breeze locations throughout North Texas, as well as three kiosks in emergency departments.
“I call myself a FaceTime pharmacist,” said Wilcoxon, PharmD. “When I was in school, I would have never imagined that I would be practicing virtually, but here I am.”
Texas Health is the first health system in Texas to provide the convenient kiosks, which allow patients to receive medications without having to go to a retail pharmacy.
“The kiosks are another way we are innovating urgent care and putting the consumer at the center of everything we do,” said Jamie Harraid, vice president, Ambulatory Services. “We’ve received great feedback from consumers on the simplicity and convenience of the kiosks. Being able to leave their visit with medications in hand, saving an additional trip to a pharmacy, is seen as a huge patient satisfier.”
The provider sends the patient’s prescription electronically to a Medical Support team pharmacist who works at a central location. The patient simply presses “Start” on the kiosk’s computer screen and begins talking to a pharmacy technician whom they can see on the screen.
“We take the calls as they come in, and one minute we might be in Plano and the next minute we’re talking to someone in Fort Worth,” said Canales.
After providing information to the pharmacy tech, the patient then speaks with a pharmacist who counsels them about the medication and answers any questions. Once they complete the conversation, the pharmacist dispenses the medication through the kiosk. A small black door opens, and the patient can remove the medication and any printed instructions.
“Our patients are always so impressed with how quickly we can process their prescriptions, and it’s so satisfying to see their amusement with the kiosks,” said Canales.
The kiosk contains 30 common medications, and the pharmacy team fills 200–250 prescriptions a day.
“This has been a great innovation for Texas Health and was particularly helpful during the pandemic,” said Bianca Randall, M.H.A., manager, Pharmacy Emergency Department Operations. “Helping people avoid a trip to a crowded retail pharmacy after an urgent care visit has been a great value.”
The kiosks are another way that Texas Health is working to provide consumer-centric care.
“We are proud to provide a quick and seamless service that allows consumers to get their care and prescriptions all under one roof,” said Randy Ball, Texas Health chief pharmacy officer.
(Pictured top right: Marva Goins, director, Pharmacy, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth, is featured in the image on the pharmacy kiosks.)
