BD & Henry Ford Health Join Forces to Automate Pharmacy Storage & Enable 24/7 Prescription Access

The system includes high-capacity, modular robotic storage that safely and precisely retrieves prescriptions.

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has announced a strategic collaboration with Henry Ford Health to design the pharmacy of the future, beginning with the deployment of an advanced robotic automation system, the BD Rowa Vmax.

This partnership aims to enhance how medication is stored, dispensed, and accessed, especially enabling patients to pick up select prescriptions 24 hours a day, seven days a week

The first stage of implementation will focus on Henry Ford Health’s hospital-based community pharmacies across Southeast and Central Michigan.

Key features of the BD Rowa Vmax system include high-capacity, modular robotic storage that safely and precisely retrieves prescriptions. This setup will streamline pharmacy staff workflow, allowing them to dedicate more time to patient-centered care rather than logistical tasks.

Key Features

Round-the-clock access is expected to provide Patients the convenience of picking up prescriptions at any time of day, improving access and flexibility, along with faster discharge and clinic-visit completion without unnecessary delays.

Also, the system is expected to accommodate not only prescriptions but also refrigerated medications, supplies, and over-the-counter items.

Further, it is reported that the automation system will be provided to deliver safe and accurate retrieval, which is expected to reduce manual handling and support real-time tracking and modular scalability.

Speaking about this partnership, Chad Glover, vice president and general manager of Pharmacy Automation at BD said, "Henry Ford Health has one of the most innovative and patient-centered visions for what a health system pharmacy can do for patients."

He further added, "BD's robotics and pharmacy automation technologies are well aligned to support such a vision, and we are looking forward to this initial implementation as well as future collaborations to further advance Henry Ford Health's hospital and community pharmacies."

Also, Jennifer Tryon, MS, FASHP, chief pharmacy officer at Henry Ford Health commented, "This partnership with BD advances that vision. By introducing this automation, we free our teams to focus on high-impact, patient-centered work. It's a bold step toward transforming how we serve our patients, our communities, and our industry."

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