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CUSTOMER MAGAZINE
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THE GLOBAL PHARMACY AUTOMATION MARKET VALUE
2019
EDITORIAL
CUSTOMER NEWS
Nordic hospital boom accelerating investment in automation
“Our goal is an uninterrupted pharmaceutical service”
* A FORECAST
DENMARK’S HOSPITAL MODERNISATION PROJECT
A future-proof health care system with a focus on safety and efficiency
1/ 2019 CUSTOMER MAGAZINE | NEWICON OY
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NORDIC HOSPITAL BOOM ACCELERATING INVESTMENT IN AUTOMATION
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Editorial
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GIVE US FEEDBACK ON OUR NEW WEBSITE In short
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A FUTURE-PROOF HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WITH A FOCUS ON SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY Denmark’s hospital modernisation project
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MODERNISATION OF MAINTENANCE – SALES MANAGER TO LEAD MAINTENANCE TEAM Hear it from us at NewIcon
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“OUR GOAL IS AN UNINTERRUPTED PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICE” Customer news
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“Implementing automation goes hand in hand with developing and improving processes – making them more efficient, safe and rational.” 22 | Antti Vesala, Product Marketing Manager
22 ASK VIA CHAT! Antti is available to answer questions on pharmacy automation procurement process 28th August from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (UTC +02). www.newicon.fi
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INTEGRATING AN ADS WITH THE ISRAELI MINISTRY OF HEALTH’S SAP Customer news
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HEALTH CARE AUTOMATION IN SWEDEN GAINING STEAM Visiting editor
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WHERE IS THE RECORD-BREAKING NEWICON HEADING?
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Hear it from us at NewIcon
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UP TO 80 % OF PHARMACY AUTOMATION PROJECTS RUN LATE In-house article
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TIPS AND GUIDES Tips
ICON NEWS Publisher NewIcon Oy Changes of address & subscriptions info@newicon.fi Editorial staff Jori-Matti Savolainen, NewIcon Oy Jooli markkinointi & viestintä Oy Design & layout Kotisaari Graphic Management Oy Printed in Grano Oy
NewIcon is a health tech company specialising in pharmacy automation systems based on advanced software and robotics. Hospitals and pharmacies everywhere in the world value Finnish health technology which enhances safe, efficient and rational pharmaceutical service. The company has a subsidiary in Denmark, a joint venture in China and distributors in six countries.
EDITORIAL
Nordic hospital boom accelerating investment in automation The global pharmacy automation market is growing at an exhilarating pace. The market is currently valued at EUR 5.5 billion and predicted to reach around EUR nine billion by 2025 (1).
OSSI PARVIAINEN The author is the CEO of NewIcon Oy
The pharmacy automation market is also growing in the Nordic Countries, which are investing heavily in new hospitals. In Finland, for example, the Central Finland Health Care District’s Hospital Nova will be the first central hospital built in the 2000s. The previous hospital construction boom occurred in the 1960s and 70s, and these hospitals have reached the end of their lifespan. Building new hospitals is more cost-effective than renovating the old, as maintenance costs can be brought down by up to 40–50 per cent by building automation and the efficient use of space alone (2). These new hospitals will be equipped with the latest technology, some of which has already been purchased. Investments in automation are usually aimed at improving the efficiency and safety of health care. In our opinion, the rationality of work is also a part of this vision, since automation improves occupational safety as much as patient safety. The automation systems are ”work mates” that do your routine work and free experts to focus on tasks appropriate to their qualifications. In the Nordics, for example, Denmark has earmarked EUR 0.9 billion for new technology, which amounts to 14 per cent of the total hospital construction and renovation budget. In our estimate, the share of pharmacy automation systems is typically 1–2 per cent of the total budget. The sum could be bigger, considering the savings created by such devices. Automated dispensing cabinets, for example, can reduce the pharmacies’ mandatory reserve supplies and thus the capital tied up in medicines. And that is just one area in which pharmacy automation saves money. The efficiency, safety and rationality of pharmaceutical services require increasing attention due to the ageing of the population. This structural change touches the Nordics and the rest of the world equally. It requires new ways of working and harnessing automation, since the pool of qualified professionals will not be sufficient to serve the growing number of patients. One concern is that the risk of medication errors will grow due to insufficient resources. Already, up to 20 per cent of administered doses leads to medication errors (3). Thankfully, serious or fatal medication errors are rare, but zero tolerance for even insignificant medication errors is required in health care.
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“THE EFFICIENCY, SAFETY AND RATIONALITY OF PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES REQUIRE INCREASING ATTENTION DUE TO THE AGEING OF THE POPULATION.”
1. Grace Market Data: Global Pharmacy Automation Systems Market 2017–2025 by End-user, Product and Region June 2018 2. Future Hospital OYS 2030. URL: http://oys2030. fi/english.php 3. Härkänen, M. (2014). Medication-related Adverse Outcomes and Contributing Factors among Hospital Patients. Publications of the University of Eastern Finland
Give us feedback on our new website By giving feedback on our new website, you will enter a draw and have a chance to win a Taste of Finland gift box* worth EUR 50. We will also reward the two best ideas for a story that we will feature in the next issues of our customer magazine. On our website, you will find helpful case stories of hospital and pharmacy professionals recounting their experiences on purchasing and commissioning pharmacy automation systems. You can also download a guide with tips on the purchasing of hospital automation systems. There is also a wealth of information on our pharmacy automation systems. You can read about the benefits of pharmacy automation systems on our website, download brochures, or watch product videos. On our blog, our professionals and guests have written some interesting posts on pharmacy automation. So far, our guests have included Toivo Naaranlahti, the retired Chief of Pharmacy of the Kuopio University Hospital; Harri Kivelä, Expert at the Innovation Funding Centre Business Finland; Erkki Kostiainen, pharmacist and Director of Communications at the Association of Finnish Pharmacies.
On our website, you can read the story of our company, a greeting from our CEO Ossi Parviainen, and meet the members of our Management Team and the Board of Directors. In the News section, you can find all issues of our Icon News magazine, read current news, Expert Tips and Insights from Our Employees. You can order materials and join our newsletter mailing list, or change your communication settings at newicon.fi/subscribematerials.
Give us feedback and share your ideas for stories:
or visit: newicon.fi/subscribe-materials * tasteoffinland.com
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DENMARK’S HOSPITAL MODERNISATION PROJECT TEXT: PETRA LEHTO
Denmark’s vision: A future-proof health care system with a focus on safety and efficiency Denmark’s hospitals are undergoing a massive change. With a budget of EUR 6.4 billion, Denmark aims at better and more cohesive patient treatment, improved patient safety, greater efficiency and a higher quality of care in its hospitals throughout the country. Procurement of advanced technology is an integral part of the project.
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During the past decade, the Danish health care system has been going through significant expansion and restructuring. Following an administrative reform and the formation of five regions with the health care sector as their main task, the systematic planning and reconstruction of hospitals, based on nationallydetermined criteria, began in 2007.
A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR GREATER AUTOMATION OF WORK PROCESSES The overall goal of Denmark’s hospital modernisation project has been to ensure nationwide access to modern health services. This goal will be reached through continued specialisation and by making sure that hospitals’ services and infrastructure can be flexibly modified, expanded, or reduced depending on changing demands for treatment and care. The reform also calls for the use of advanced work methods and new technologies. This gives the hospitals a perfect opportunity to investigate options for greater automation of work processes. “I may be stating the obvious, but modern health care of patients requires the use of modern technology. In this respect, our hospitals were out-dated, and the renewal was necessary,” says Kjeld Møller Pedersen, professor of health economics and health policy at the University of Southern Denmark and a member of an expert panel of the construction project. According to a report from 2017 by the Danish Ministry of Health, EUR 0.9 billion of the total budget of EUR 6.4 billion has been earmarked for the procurement of medical equipment and new advanced technology.
ALL HOSPITALS HAVE THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS The construction of hospitals cannot be based on a single, national model for renewal since there is great variation in the starting point for construction among the regions, ranging from renovations and extensions, to building entirely new hospitals. “These super hospitals are a big challenge,” says Hanne Hansen-Nord, NewIcon’s Sales Manager in Denmark. “They are being built at the same time but they are not heading in exactly the same direction. That is why, also when it comes to pharmacy automation, all hospitals will have their individual needs.” The super hospitals refer to 16 hospital construction projects. They consist of seven new national hospitals and nine existing hospitals that are being renovated. If everything goes to plan, all hospitals will be in use by 2025. Besides these 16 projects, 27 other hospital construction projects are being carried out during the same period of time.
“MODERN HEALTH CARE OF PATIENTS REQUIRES THE USE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY. IN THIS RESPECT, OUR HOSPITALS WERE OUT-DATED, AND THE RENEWAL WAS NECESSARY.” Kjeld Møller Pedersen
Kjeld Møller Pedersen, professor and a member of an expert panel of the construction project Organisation University of Southern Denmark is the thirdlargest and the third-oldest university in Denmark. Contact information www.sdu.dk
Hanne Hansen-Nord, Sales Manager
Company NewIcon Oy Motto Life is better when you make a difference. Contact information newicon.fi/da
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SUPER HOSPITALS IN DENMARK • 7 new national super hospitals • 9 existing hospitals are being renovated • All hospitals will be in use by 2025 • The total budget is EUR 6.4 billion • EUR 0.9 billion has been earmarked for the procurement of medical equipment and information technology
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Capital Region of Denmark 1. Sct. Hans Hospital 2. Rigshospital University Hospital 3. Sjælland hospital 4. Herlev Hospital 5. Hvidovre Hospital 6. Bispebjerg Hospital Region Sjælland 7. Køge University Hospital 8. Slagelse Psychiatric Hospital 9. Slagalse Hospital
Region of Southern Denmark 10. Kolding Hospital 11. Aabenraa Hospital 12. Odense University Hospital Central Denmark Region 13. Viborg Region Hospital 14. Gødstrup Hospital 15. Aarhus University Hospital North Denmark Region 16. Aalborg University Hospital
The eMED ICON automated dispensing cabinet was selected in 2017 as the best innovation for improving the patient experience, which is in use at the Odense University Hospital.
IMPROVEMENTS FOR PATIENTS AND EMPLOYEES New technological solutions, pharmacy automation among them, will not only result in improved patient safety, but will also improve occupational safety, allowing hospital employees to spend more time on meaningful tasks. Local planning has made it possible to hear the employees in the process. “In order to show the employees the new hospitals and let them test them, 3D-models, and virtual reality has been used at several of the construction projects along with the physical mock-ups of future hospital rooms,” explains Kristian Taageby Nielsen, the regions’ consultant in the hospital construction.
THE AUTOMATED DISPENSING CABINET WILL SUPPORT HOSPITALS’ VISION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES: “RIGHT MEDICINE, RIGHT DOSE, RIGHT ADMINISTRATION METHOD, RIGHT TIME AND RIGHT PATIENT”.
FREEING RESOURCES TO WHAT MATTERS MOST Hanne Hansen-Nord hopes the great interest in automation would also result in taking steps towards building an uninterrupted pharmaceutical service (a Closed Loop Medication) – a key to eliminating the human error from the process and saving the personnel’s time to things that only people can do: meaningful and humane care of patients. Currently NewIcon’s products are in use in three Danish hospitals: The first eMED ICON automated dispensing cabinet trial unit was installed in Odense University Hospital in 2017, and in 2018 Sydvestjysk Hospital in Esbjerg followed suit. The Hospital of Southern Jutland’s unit in the city of Aaberaa is currently working on a pilot study, and the same applies to the Lundbyescentret care home in Aalborg. The eMED ICON automated dispensing cabinet will support hospitals’ vision for the development of pharmaceutical services: “right medicine, right dose, right administration method, right time and right patient”. “The nurses using the cabinet feel that it allows for easier and smoother dispensation of medicine than before, with the lights providing clear usage guidance. The automated dispensing cabinet’s speed and safety in selecting medications was also viewed as a positive factor,” explains Hansen-Nord.
Kristian Taageby Nielsen, Consultant
Organisation Danish Regions is the interest organisation for the five regions in Denmark. Motto I look into my heart to see my mistakes. I learn from the night to glow in the dark. Contact information godtsygehusbyggeri.dk
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HEAR IT FROM US AT NEWICON
Marjo Lehtinen, Chief Sales Officer Joined NewIcon in 2017 Motto Cooperation takes us further.
Jukka Mauranen, Director, Maintenance Services Joined NewIcon in 2012 Motto Get it right, the first time!
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TEXT: IINA TIIHONEN PHOTO: ALIAS CREATIVE
Modernisation of Maintenance – Sales Manager to lead maintenance team Business growth at NewIcon and the transition to international markets will inevitably mean changes within the company as well. Shipping a large portion of the pharmacy automation systems out into the world, new perspectives are required in maintenance operations and processes. At NewIcon, maintenance is now part of the sales department, with former Director of Domestic Sales, Jukka Mauranen, running the operations.
Before this, maintenance was part of the production and product development department at NewIcon. The organisational reform was based on the company’s desire to redesign the concept of maintenance services to better meet global customer needs. “Automation systems are a considerable investment for any hospital or pharmacy, and that’s why our aim is to guarantee their performance throughout their life cycle. Our maintenance experts work close to our customers and they convey to us a lot of valuable customer feedback that enables us to develop our products as well as our operations,” says Marjo Lehtinen, Chief Sales Officer. Jukka Mauranen, who is now running the maintenance services, has worked at NewIcon for seven years and he has vast experience in the field of pharmacies and hospitals. “We have always invested in the maintenance of our automation systems, and our technical support was already working well before the reform. However, we always want to design better services, and Jukka is the right person for the job. He was replaced in domestic sales by Sales Manager Mikko Väätäinen,” says Lehtinen.
MAINTENANCE ORGANISATION GROWING AND BRANCHING OUT GLOBALLY As the number of pharmacy automation systems sold increases, the maintenance organisation is growing.
Recruitment is under way in the maintenance team in Finland, and with NewIcon’s international distributors, the maintenance operations are branching out across the world. “In the spirit of continuous improvement, we are actively investing in the training of all our maintenance experts. We are making training activities more versatile and regular, and I believe that our customers will benefit from the increasing expertise in faster service and better quality,” Mauranen predicts. Outside Finland, our distributors’ maintenance organi sations are responsible for the maintenance of our systems. The NewIcon maintenance team trains these teams according to the same operating principles as their own, and our maintenance team provides background support. When we hand over the first automation system to a distributor, we train their maintenance experts at the NewIcon factory in Kuopio. The NewIcon maintenance team will also travel to the target country to install the system and to continue to train the distributor’s maintenance experts. “The aim is that our distributors will be able to train the end users of the automation systems and take care of maintenance themselves. Of course, the maintenance team in Finland will assist them if necessary. We provide all systems with a secure remote connection that enables us to resolve many problems without travelling to the location,” Mauranen says.
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CUSTOMER NEWS TEXT: IINA TIIHONEN PHOTOS: KAMERA-PETTERI
HOSPITAL NOVA PREPARES FOR PHARMACY AUTOMATION:
“Our goal is an uninterrupted pharmaceutical service” 12
Hospital Nova, currently under construction in Jyväskylä, is already rapidly preparing for pharmacy automation. Scheduled for completion in autumn 2020, Nova is the first entirely new hospital to be built in Finland in the 2000s. One of the objectives of the hospital is to improve the safety of patients and medication through digitalisation and automation.
The hospital is planning to make extensive use of the latest technology. NewIcon is delivering an IV ICON Twins compounding system and 35 eMED ICON automated dispensing cabinets (ADC). “Our core idea of developing pharmaceutical services is to improve medication safety and enhance the processes. Automation and information systems are tools that will enable us to achieve this goal”, says Kaisa Hänninen, the development pharmacist of the Central Finland Health Care District. The hospital project of the Central Finland Health Care District has also attracted interest outside Finland. “Other hospitals are interested in our experiences, as they are also working with the same themes, and all kinds of innovation automation for improving patient and medication safety will be introduced in Nova. We are also in a unique situation, because we have been able to take automation requirements into account in the design of a new hospital”, says Hänninen.
PREPARATIONS ARE UNDERWAY FOR THE COMMISSIONING OF AUTOMATED DISPENSING CABINETS
Kaisa Hänninen, the development pharmacist and Tero Turunen, ward pharmacist from Central Finland Health Care District.
Because of the commissioning of automation, significant changes are required to hospital processes and procedures. To make the transition to the new hospital smooth, preparations for the changes in procedures are made in good time. The Jyväskylä Central Hospital is already testing an automated dispensing cabinet by NewIcon in the hospital pharmacy and using two cabinets for production in the hospital wards. The installation of automated dispensing cabinets in Nova will begin in autumn 2019. “We wanted to be proactive in our approach to the procurement of automated dispensing cabinets. The
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HOSPITAL NOVA
In an uninterrupted pharmaceutical service, the goal is to score five: 1. correct medicine 2. correct dose
Hospital Nova in central Finland is the first central hospital to be built in the 2000s. Nova is built to replace the old Central Hospital in Jyväskylä. Some of the old hospital buildings will be dismantled, while new uses will be found for other buildings. Location: Jyväskylä Completion: 2020 Total area: approx. 100,000 gross square metres Examination and consultation rooms: 360 Beds on hospital wards: 368 Operating theatres: 24 Delivery rooms: 10
3. using the correct method 4. at the correct time 5. to the correct patient The pharmaceutical service is uninterrupted when the patient medication data is stored in real time in the medical service systems and information travels between different systems automatically. In addition to automation, the following will increase the safety of the pharmaceutical service: up-todate medication information, pharmaceutical verification, and evaluation of medical treatment.
automated dispensing cabinets currently in use have enabled us to get to know the equipment and their information system, develop the cabinets in collaboration with the supplier, and renew our practices”, Hänninen says. At the moment, a multi-professional project team at Hospital Nova is preparing a training package for the commissioning of automated dispensing cabinets. Inductions and training on how to use the equipment for all users are already under way. “With NewIcon, we have already planned the delivery and installation of the automated dispensing cabinets to the wards at Hospital Nova, as well as the validation of the equipment. We are constantly dealing with the commissioning schedule of the entire hospital, so it is quite a puzzle”, Hänninen says.
AUTOMATED DISPENSING CABINETS PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN ACUTE WARDS In addition to the automated dispensing cabinets and compounding system supplied by NewIcon, Hospital Nova will be equipped with a pneumatic tube system, an automated dispensing system and the Unit Dose dosage system. Later, the goal is to integrate the automation systems of the hospital pharmacy into the hospital information systems. “Our goal is an uninterrupted pharmaceutical service that, in practice, refers to how prescriptions are
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Kaisa Hänninen, development pharmacist Worked in Central Finland Central Hospital since 2010 Hobbies Studying and outdoor activities Motto If you never take the first step, you will not get ahead. What do you cook for friends and family? Chicken pasta
A second compounding system allows for expansion of operations
verified and distributed; compounding, preparation and administration of medicine are all stored in the medical service systems in real time. Information travels between the information systems and devices automatically and without interruption”, Hänninen explains. The hospital’s Unit Dose dosage system is the first in Finland. It enables unit doses of medicine and electronic identification via individual identifiers. When it is fully integrated into the hospital’s patient information data system, the system will be able to dispense medicines to each patient. Some of the unit doses of medicine will be stored in the automated dispensing cabinets by NewIcon and collected for each patient. “The role of automated dispensing cabinets in pharmaceutical services is further highlighted in acute wards that treat a considerable variety of patients. Unit doses of medicine can also be used in acute wards, but they cannot be patient-specific, as medicines are required at such a fast pace. However, the automated dispensing cabinets allow us to safely collect the correct medicine for each patient using the electronic identifier on the unit dose. In addition, in the future, thanks to electronic dispensing records, we will have more reliable information regarding the medication administered to each patient, the dose and time, and the person administering the medicine”, Hänninen says.
The first IV ICON Twins compounding system by NewIcon was installed in the Central Finland Central Hospital in 2016 to enhance the compounding of intravenous antibiotics. The Central Finland Health Care District has ordered a second compounding system for the new hospital. “The second Twins will help us to meet the growing demand on wards and enable us to expand our operations”, says Kaisa Hänninen, the development pharmacist. The hospital acquired the first compounding system, above all, to improve occupational ergonomics, as compounding antibiotics manually is demanding and time-consuming. Automation was also used to improve the overall efficiency of the work process, as the compounding system will allow larger production volumes and produce medicines of higher microbiological quality.
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CUSTOMER NEWS TEXT: VIRPI KIRVES-TORVINEN PHOTOS: GOTECT TECHNOLOGIES LTD.
Integrating an ADS with the Israeli Ministry of Health’s SAP
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Last October, NewIcon’s Mega-Fixu automated dispensing system (ADS) won a public tender for Rambam Health Care Campus, the fifth-largest hospital in Israel. The next stage in the million-euro investment is integration with the international SAP enterprise resource planning system maintained by the Israeli Ministry of Health.
The staff of the Rambam Hospital and hospital pharmacy celebrated the start of Mega-Fixu installation in April 2019.
”This is NewIcon’s first automation delivery to an Israeli hospital – although we have supplied to pharmacies in Israel before. Our delivery is Israel’s first integration of an ADS with a hospital ERP system, enabling an uninterrupted pharmaceutical service process”, says Project Manager Petri Pitkänen of NewIcon. NewIcon’s interface expertise and ability to integrate with local hospital information systems were instrumental in winning the tender in 2018. According to Pitkänen, this special expertise has been equally helpful in ironing out the little kinks and keeping the big picture under control. “We have taken everything as it comes, together with the Rambam staff and people of the Ministry of Health. The ADS purchase and related development of pharmaceutical service processes has required them to take in and adapt to many new ideas.”
FINNISH LESSONS IN ISRAEL The Mega-Fixu was completed in NewIcon’s Kuopio factory just before Christmas 2018, and was dismantled and shipped to Haifa, Israel, in containers in January. NewIcon sent four engineers to Rambam in the installation phase. NewIcon’s distributor in Israel, Gotect Technologies Ltd., also helped with setting up the ADS at the hospital. The installation is currently in its final stages. “The Rambam hospital pharmacy was going through a major renovation at the same time, which added a few twists to the process. Our friends in Israel learned at least one word of Finnish at the work site: ”Palaveri”, which means an informal negotiation in Finnish. Apparently it’s something we use a lot when we need to get together and think our way around a problem”, says Pitkänen with a laugh. The first phase of SAP integration began in May 2019. The second phase will be launched and testing schedules agreed after the Israeli Ministry of Health has made certain updates to the system. The deployment of the ADS is thus dependent on the Ministry’s schedule. “If everything goes to plan with the Ministry of Health, the Mega-Fixu will be running at the hospital by the end of the year.”
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VISITING EDITOR
Health care automation in Sweden gaining steam The OECD* crowned Sweden as world leaders in digitalisation in 2018 – a prize well deserved based on a number of metrics. However, when it comes to digitalisation and automation in health care, we still have work to do. Through automation and integration, we at Medirum hope to see the Swedish health care sector fulfill its goal of becoming a world leader in digitalisation by 2025. Digitalisation and automatisation are normally very tightly linked together. If your country is digitalising at a rapid pace one would expect automation to follow closely behind. This has not, however, been the case in Sweden.
PER GULLBRANSSON The author is Business Unit Responsible of Medirum AB. Medirum is NewIcon`s distributor in Sweden.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND WAYS OF WORKING In Sweden, where our health sector is 90% public funded – the public debate has focused on questions such as cost saving, “INNOVATIVE staffing and wait times. While these concerns are certainly METHODOLOGIES SUCH AS justified, the over focus on them has resulted in discussions centered on problems instead of solutions for a way forward. IMPROVED WORKFLOWS, Public debate on the health sector is often seen as a positive INTEGRATED AUTOMATION driver for change through implementation of new technologies and ways of working. In Sweden, however, the public debate has SYSTEMS AND SERVICES TO stifled the fostering of automation in the health sector. A debate focusing on cost control and staffing has resulted HOSPITAL INFORMATION in limited innovation budgets, making it hard for decision bodies SYSTEMS INCREASE BOTH to launch and invest in projects to address current issues in an alternative and innovative way. When combined, innovative THE QUALITY OF CARE AND methodologies such as improved workflows, integrated EFFICIENCY.” automation systems and services to hospital information systems increase both the quality of care and efficiency. This has created a Catch-22 situation where there is a need to invest in order to develop and innovate our health care sector to address hiccups, but due to all the hiccups investments have been very limited.
WE NEED TO BE SMART To reach the goal set by the Swedish government for 2025 for digitalisation in Swedish hospitals we need to be smart. This entails including all parties in the health care sector – from us as experts on pharmacy automation and
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* Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
integration in hospitals information systems, and politicians as well as the highest decision-making bodies in our government. If we are to be world leaders in digitalisation while creating a more sustainable health care system we need to change our way of implementing and taking products to market. We need to shift focus to workflows and new ways of doing routine tasks. In short, we need to stop selling products and focus on the bottlenecks and inefficiencies our automation systems are meant to address. Undertaking a joint root cause analysis, as we are doing now, is a positive first step. With this, we are getting closer to a higher degree of automation in our health care sector.
FINLAND IS A GREAT EXAMPLE Finnish hospitals and NewIcon’s cooperation is a great example of how successful a country can be when commercial parties start to drive innovation and develop products and services in collaboration with the end-users. Great clinical results were measured from pharmaceutical automation projects, which helped launch a new era of quality in Finnish health care. I am confident that Sweden is up for the same challenge. We have, as mentioned earlier, started to discuss automation within the pharmaceutical distribution area. Now what we need is to help all hospitals see the tangible benefits of a closed loop process, supported through automation and traceability.
A DYNAMIC DUO After a slow start, we as a country are getting closer to a health care sector with a high degree of automation. With confidence and strategic thinking, our pharmaceutical automation systems, and strong collaboration with NewIcon and Swedish hospitals we will be a leader in developing our country to deliver a quality of pharmaceutical services with increased patient safety, and improved efficiency. We have already seen how widely the NewIcon pharmaceutical automation systems has been adopted across the Swedish market. For this reason, I am confident that NewIcon, together with Medirum, will be a dynamic duo in the journey to crown Sweden as world leaders in digitalisation in health care.
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HEAR IT FROM US AT NEWICON TEXT: IINA TIIHONEN
WHERE IS THE RECORDBREAKING NEWICON HEADING? The 4.999 million euros collected by NewIcon through its share issue is the largest amount of funding ever raised by crowdfunding for an unlisted growth company in Finland. However, this is not NewIcon’s first record. In 2017, the health technology company raised 4.4 million euros through share issue. Share issues have been a part of the company’s growth strategy.
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NewIcon is preparing leaps of growth to the global market and using the funds received from the share issue mainly for sales, marketing and building a strong network of distributors. The goal is to launch pilots with distributors in Thailand, Indonesia and Sweden, and to make a market launch into three to four new countries each year. In five years, the target is to reach a turnover of 60 million euros, with plans to enter the market in North America. “We will collect market information in local teams and investigate patterns, needs and problems in the target countries. We will make the work of our salespeople and distributors easier and more effective through training and sales support tools, for example. We will also harness the expertise and product information within the company for the use of our entire sales organisation,” says Ossi Parviainen, CEO of NewIcon. There is also growth in product development at NewIcon. New, market-scalable products are planned and old ones are constantly updated. The baseline in design is that existing systems and software, in particular, can be updated throughout their lifecycle. “Our pharmacy automation systems are world-class, and successful rounds of financing show that others, too, believe in our products. Our next step is to demonstrate our expertise in different market areas. Our aim is not be a mere supplier of systems; we want to be a specialist in pharmacy automation, and an expert partner who knows its customers, is keen to learn about the pharmaceutical service processes in different countries, and is able to help with issues such as software integration and procurement processes,” says Parviainen.
What is the secret to breaking records? Two global megatrends have influenced NewIcon and the records it has been breaking: digitalisation of hospitals and ageing populations. Hospitals and pharmacies around the world look for new solutions to improve the efficiency of health care and are ready to make significant investments in automation. The current market value of the pharmacy automation market, 5.5 billion euros, is forecast to increase, on average, more than of 7%, while in China, the estimated annual growth rate is as much as 13%. In 2025, the total market value is estimated to be around 9 billion euros.*
Growth efforts at NewIcon have played a part in the company’s success. After the round of financing in 2017, NewIcon has made several international market launches and distributor agreements and concluded significant framework agreements both in Finland and internationally. The 4.5 million euro investment made by the Chinese, and the partner company General Icon established with Shanghai General Healthy Information Technology Co. Ltd. opened the market in China. In 2018, the company’s turnover also grew by 65% to 7.3 million euros.
NEWICON’S GOALS : 2019-2024 Launch of deliveries in Thailand, Indonesia and Sweden Market launches into three to four new countries each year Growth in China through the partner company General Icon Market leader in the Nordic countries Market launch into North America Turnover of 60 million euros
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IN-HOUSE ARTICLE
Up to 80% of pharmacy automation projects run late The most critical factor for the success of pharmacy automation projects is a realistic procurement schedule. Many hospitals set overly optimistic timetables when requesting quotations, and up to 80 percent of pharmacy automation projects end up being late. It always helps if the hospital has experience of challenging automation procurements with the potential to revolutionise the hospital’s processes. In Finland, for example, practically every hospital is automated to some degree. The most common, and grave, error is only looking at the delivery time. The schedule of putting an automation system into production should also take the hospital’s other simultaneous processes into account: the schedules of system suppliers, construction projects and things such as end-user training. The assessment of the current state of the pharmaceutical service and specification of the automation system also take time. Implementing automation goes hand in hand with developing and improving processes – making them more efficient, safe and rational. You cannot just insert automation systems into pharmaceutical service processes – you have to assess your ways of working and adjust them where required. The assessment of the current state looks at the functionality of pharmaceutical service processes, potential bottlenecks and critical phases. The result will tell you which automation systems and extra features will be optimal for your hospital’s unique needs. You cannot automate your hospital from an ivory tower. It is essential to consult the people working in the actual pharmaceutical service. They are the best experts on making the pharmaceutical service smoother and more practical. In total, you should reserve at least two years for your automation procurement, from the assessment of the current state to commissioning. In our experience, the work of the multidisciplinary project team will be quicker and easier if they have the opportunity to make study visits to hospitals using pharmacy automation systems. Colleagues from other hospitals are best able to answer questions such as: How much more efficient is your hospital’s pharmaceutical service now? How much have patient safety and occupational safety improved? How much more rational is your work now? It also makes sense to contact automation suppliers even before sending out the requests for quotations. Not asking pharmacy automation specialists for advice in the planning of the procurement is a waste of hospital resources. We have created a guide to help hospitals everywhere in the world succeed in their automation projects as cost-effectively as possible: Pharmacy automation purchasing tips for hospitals. We hope that you will find the guide’s tips on assessing the current state of pharmaceutical services, specification, scheduling and overall budgeting useful.
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ANTTI VESALA The author is the Product Marketing Manager of NewIcon Oy
“THE RESULT WILL TELL YOU WHICH AUTOMATION SYSTEMS AND EXTRA FEATURES WILL BE OPTIMAL FOR YOUR HOSPITAL’S UNIQUE NEEDS.”
TIPS
Tips for purchasing hospital automation Order our guide with tips for the procurement of automated dispensing systems (ADS), automated dispensing cabinets (ADC) and compounding systems for intravenous antibiotics. The guide discusses the critical phases that are the assessment of the current state of the pharmaceutical service, specification of requirements, setting timetables and setting an overall budget. Order the guide:
or newicon.fi/resources/e-guides
Ask for tips via our chat Welcome to NewIcon chat! You can ask for tips on how to purchase pharmacy automation. Product Marketing Manager Antti Vesala is there to answer your questions on 28th August from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (UTC +02). You can find the chat on the right-hand side of our website by clicking the purple Chat button.
MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS: •
How could the pharmacy automation system help solve the bottlenecks and critical phases identified in your pharmaceutical service processes?
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What routine pharmaceutical service tasks would the system automate?
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How will local maintenance and support be arranged?
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How much time should you reserve for training the staff?
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NEWICON OY
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