Organisations have been considering centralised dispensaries and/or hub and spokes models, and testing for more years than you may imagine. Big organisations and pharmacy chains have spent large amounts of time/resource and huge sums of money looking worldwide at options available including automation and testing.
Efficiency and cost savings is the name of the game to make it work.
Large centralised dispensaries or hubs can work more efficiently. But how much would it cost in capital terms if you automate as much as possible, costs can spiral.
If you go direct to patient, that final mile always costs the most. Transport costs are coming down as more logistics suppliers deliver to home for the ever growing internet market. Pharmacy can ride on the back of these costs savings and many organisations are gearing up for specifically for prescription supply and all that goes with GDP. But pharmacy margins can still be very thin so beware.
If you follow a hub and spoke model how many times will staff (and where) handle the dispensed items/package before it reaches the patient. Each touch costs money and needs to be factored in to models.
And if there is a dispensing error, who takes or shares the responsibility?
Beware!
If you need input to your model ask PCL make it work for you, do not make a mistake.