Suspect Demands Drugs At South Nashville Pharmacy

Canadian Pharmacy

Police have been looking for the suspect who held up a South Nashville pharmacy and walked out with hundreds of dollars worth of prescription pills.

Officials said a male suspect walked into the Walgreens on 5555 Edmonson Pike in South Nashville just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. Witnesses said he indicated he had a gun and demanded drugs.

The pharmacist gave the man about $500 worth of Lortab narcotic prescription pills.

Employees told investigators they were not sure if the suspect actually had a weapon or simply stuck his hand in his pocket to make it look like he had a gun.

The robbery was caught on surveillance video. Police said they hope to release some images of the robbery later Tuesday.

Can Pharmacy Mistakes Be Solved By Drug ATM?

After making news when a pharmacist gave a customer the wrong prescription, Safeway is rolling out new automated prescription dispensers in Colorado.

The Script Centers work like automated teller machines. Customers who enroll in the program can pick up their medications at an automated machine at Safeway in Lone Tree and Boulder.

New medications are not dispensed in the machine. The store’s pharmacy still requires face-to-face interaction for

new medications and controlled medications like OxyContin.

Last month, Mareena Silva picked up medication at a Fort Lupton Safeway, only to learn the medicine was meant for someone else. Silva, who was 6 weeks pregnant, took one of the pills before she realized it wasn’t the medicine she expected.

The pill was Methotrexate, and can cause birth defects or act as an abortion pill for pregnant women.

She’s still being monitored to see if there are any effects on her pregnancy.

A Safeway spokeswoman told 7NEWS that the Script Center is not a response to that incident.

“We are seeing dozens of customers use this,” said Brian Pavur, Safeway’s pharmacy division operations manager.

Safeway has used the automated machines on the West Coast for years as a way to let customers pick up medication without having to wait in line.

“It’s intended for refillable prescriptions, maintenance medications,” said Pavur.

To access the prescription, customers must enroll with their birth date and Safeway prescription number. The kiosk prompts users to input their birth date, a user ID and a personal identification number, a security question and answer and gives the option to enter an e-mail address and phone number.

Instead of using a user ID and PIN, customers can choose to scan their fingerprint for one-touch access.

“Have you ever had an instance where it has made a mistake?” asked 7NEWS reporter Marshall Zelinger.

“The machine is very safe. There have been no mistakes made,” said Pavur.

7NEWS wanted to know how the machine makes sure the right medicine gets to the right person. There’s still the chance for human error. Pharmacy staff must still fill the prescription, put the bottle in a sealed bar-coded bag and then place the bag in one of dozens of trays in the automated machine.

“Once the machine closes, a bar-code reader scans all the trays, all the bar-codes, so it knows exactly where that prescription is,” said Marc Stuive, Safeway’s regional pharmacy manager.

The machine is typically loaded two or three times a day, and is accessible as long as the store is open, even if the pharmacy is already closed.

Besides the user ID and PIN and fingerprint options, the machine has other security features. The screen shuts off and goes back to the main screen if it hasn’t been touched in 15 to 20 seconds. If medication isn’t taken out of the bin within 15 seconds, it closes and the medicine gets dumped in a tray inside the machine that would require a pharmacist to retrieve it. Just like a money ATM, a small camera takes the photograph of everyone who uses the machine.

There’s also a safety feature for refills when pharmacists would rather talk to the customer first.

“If there’s ever an occurrence where the pharmacist would like to speak to you about your medication, the machine will alert you to see the pharmacy,” said Pavur.

Arensberg Pharmacy opens in former furniture store

Upon entering the new Arensberg Pharmacy and Wellness Center — located in the old Sam Alban Co. furniture store, 57 W. Main St. — you probably will be greeted by Steve Harris.

As pharmacy manager, Harris was quick to give out handshakes to everyone walking through the door Monday.

It was the first day for this version of Arensberg Pharmacy, which was located at 30 N. Park Place for the past five months while renovation work was completed to change the building into a modern pharmacy.

Yet there are many reminders of the historical aspect of the building and of Newark itself, as vintage black-and-white photos grace the walls.

Harris now offers smoking cessation classes in the same building that once was home to the Newark Cigar Factory. Wide moldings, reminiscent of a bygone era, complement the bright and airy feeling of the 5,000-square-foot store. An oil painting of the original building was recently brought in by Reece Alban, current owner of the building and former Sam Alban furniture store owner.

Harris stressed that this store is more than just a pharmacy — it is also a wellness center.

“We want to get away from just emphasizing the treatment of diseases and focus on wellness, for the betterment of the customer,” Harris said. “For our grand opening on April 15, we will have free diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol screening, as well as a smoking cessation class.”

The new building has a conference and counseling area for these purposes. There also is a large drive-up window on the side of the building.

“In my pharmacy, we will never have a machine where you can check blood pressure. We are very hands-on here. We want to be very personable,” Harris said. “We are all about service, service, and more service.”

Harris is the pharmacist for the store, along with Venu Talasila. The duo also has five certified technicians and, together, they can all operate the new Script-Pro. The automated prescription dispensing machine holds up to 200 medications that it assembles and packages. A compound room in the back is where unique dosage products, not commercially available, can be mixed under the watchful eyes of the pharmacists.

In addition to the large pharmacy and durable medical supplies taking up more than half of the store, Arensberg also carries a small grocery section, gifts, arts and crafts and home decor items.

“We are surrounded by senior-subsided housing, and there is not a lot of choices for them to get a quick meal,” Harris said.

The new pharmacy represents a dream come true for Harris. While he has opened new stores for corporations before, he has never been in charge of the operations.

“I am prouder than a new father,” Harris said. “All my career I wanted a new store. The pharmacy is corporately owned (by REM Corp.), but independently operated.”

The Arensberg name has been around the Newark area for close to 80 years.

A local pharmacist, Jeff Read, operated the pharmacy for 31 years, six for REM. When he decided to open his own stores in June, he could not use the Arensberg name since he sold that right to REM. The corporation decided to stay in Newark because of the longevity of the name.

“The corporate support has been phenomenal,” Harris said.

Parking for the new pharmacy is located in front, and in the middle of West Main Street, along with diagonal parking along the side of the building.

Viagra online canadian pharmacy – canadianpharmacynorx.com

Technology Embracing Pharmacy, Millennium Pharmacy Systems, Welcomes New CIO

To continue delivering industry-leading technology-enabled solutions to long-term care, Millennium Pharmacy Systems welcomes John Tauber as its Chief Information Officer (CIO). Mr. Tauber will make a smooth, quick transition into the role, as he has served as interim CIO since the fall of 2010. “John (Tauber) has proven his effectiveness and has shown that his goals align with the direction of Millennium. We are very pleased to welcome him to the Millennium family and look forward to his contributions,” stated Rich Scardina, Chief Executive Officer.

John brings extensive experience using technology to drive efficiency, quality and revenue and achieving bottom line results in corporate, turnaround, and growth company environments. Most recently, he was the CIO for MedImpact Healthcare Systems with responsibility for delivering IT services for one of the nation’s largest prescription benefits management (PBM) companies. Prior to MedImpact, he held CIO and senior IT leadership positions at Computer Horizons Corporation, Caremark, Adobe Systems, Deloitte & Touche, and Continental Bank. John graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees in computer science and in mathematics and has served as an adjunct professor at the Lake Forest School of Management.

“Millennium Pharmacy Systems has been the launching pad for technology into the long-term care pharmacy industry and into many of its customers’ operations. I am pleased to have the opportunity to help continue and enhance the tradition of technology-enabled solutions both internally and externally,” Mr. Tauber commented. John Tauber will oversee all information technology operations from Millennium’s Shared Services location in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.

About Millennium Pharmacy Systems

Millennium Pharmacy Systems is a pharmacy services provider to the long-term care industry. Offering a new approach to pharmacy services, Millennium delivers on the promise of “the right drug, for the right patient, at the right time, for the right price” so its customers can deliver the best patient care while reducing costs, and more easily meeting compliance demands. Only Millennium combines Just-In-Time Dispensing with electronic medication and treatment ordering, administration, documentation, and reporting. Millennium backs up this commitment with delivery timeliness and medication accuracy customer guarantees. Millennium is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.