Healthcare & pharma
Controls and automation for pharmaceutical and medical-supply distribution and pharmacy fulfillment. Accuracy, traceability, and compliance come first.
Standards
We design systems aligned with these standards and regulations, applied to the scope of each project. Regulatory obligations remain with the licensed distributor or pharmacy; our controls are built to support them.
The Drug Supply Chain Security Act requires unit-level product identifiers, interoperable electronic tracing of transactions (typically exchanged as EPCIS data), verification of saleable returns, and quarantine and investigation of suspect or illegitimate product. The enhanced, interoperable requirements are now in effect, with FDA exemptions phasing in by trading-partner type, so automation must capture and pass serialized data reliably.
GTIN identifies the product at each packaging level, SSCC identifies each logistic unit (case, tote, or pallet shipment), and GLN identifies locations. Together they let every scan tie a physical item to the right record.
GS1 DataMatrix carries the DSCSA product identifier (GTIN, serial, lot, and expiry) on units and cases; GS1-128 linear barcodes carry the SSCC on shipping labels.
The event data standard for what happened, where, when, and why, including aggregation (which units are in which case, and which cases are on which pallet) that downstream partners rely on. See RFID & tracking.
Where control or WCS systems hold GxP records, electronic records and signatures need secure access, audit trails, and integrity controls. We design systems to support that.
Wholesaler storage and handling requirements (21 CFR Part 205 and state licensing) are the distributor’s obligations; Good Distribution Practice and USP <1079> guide storage and transport conditions. We build controls that help you meet them.
Schedule II–V products require secure cages or vaults, restricted access, and documented handling. These zones shape automation layout, routing, and access-control interlocks.
Refrigerated (2–8 °C) and frozen zones with continuous temperature monitoring, alarming, data logging, and defined excursion handling.
A risk-based approach to validating computerized systems. We provide design documents and IQ/OQ/PQ support material for systems that touch GxP data.
Control networks segmented and secured in line with ISA/IEC 62443. Where patient-specific order data passes through (for example mail-order pharmacy), HIPAA obligations sit with covered entities and their business associates; we design systems that support your compliance.
Control panels built to UL 508A, with machine electrical design aligned with NFPA 79.
Conveyor safeguarding aligned with ASME B20.1 and OSHA requirements, with machine safety guided by ANSI B11 where it applies.
GTIN & scanning
Every decision starts with a good read.
00312345678906Product and package level271231YYMMDDA1B2C3Batch or lot number1000000001Unique per unitA GTIN-14 identifies the unit, inner pack, or case; for US drugs the 10-digit NDC is embedded within it, so the scan identifies the exact product and package.
Fixed-mount, image-based scanners such as Cognex DataMan, Keyence SR, Zebra, or Datalogic read GS1 DataMatrix and GS1-128, including multi-side tunnels where label orientation varies.
Application identifiers are parsed into GTIN, lot, serial, and expiry; GTIN check digits and expiry dates are validated before the item moves on.
No-reads, mismatches, expired or recalled items are sent to an exception lane for review rather than passed downstream.
Serial, lot, and aggregation data are passed to the WMS and EPCIS systems so tracing records match what physically shipped.
Routing
The WMS owns orders and inventory, the WCS or WES makes real-time routing decisions, and the PLC handles motion and I/O. Each layer does its own job.
TCP sockets, OPC UA, MQTT, REST, or database tables, with defined message handshakes and timing so decisions arrive before the item reaches the divert.
Unknown, late, or no-read items go to the exception lane by default, never to a guessed destination.
Totes and cartons routed to pick zones such as pick-to-light, put-walls, and A-frame or automated dispensing, with zone skipping and merges.
Carton and tote induction, then sortation to shipping lanes by carrier or route and stop.
Dedicated routing for cold-chain items and for controlled-substance zones with access control.
Selected or flagged orders diverted for quality checks and audits, with recirculation handling.
Checkweighers confirm order contents by weight, and print-and-apply stations apply shipping and SSCC labels that are scanned to verify.
HL7 & FHIR
Pharmacy automation is only as good as the orders it receives and the status it reports back.
In hospital and health-system pharmacies, central fill, and mail-order or specialty pharmacy, automation must receive patient-specific orders from the EHR or pharmacy system and report dispense and fill status back.
The most widely used healthcare messaging standard, carried over TCP using MLLP framing. Relevant messages include ORM/OMP (pharmacy and treatment orders), RDE (pharmacy encoded order), RDS (pharmacy dispense), RGV (give), ADT (admit, discharge, transfer for location changes), and ACK acknowledgements.
MSH is the message header (sender, receiver, type), PID identifies the patient, ORC carries common order control, RXE holds the encoded pharmacy order, and RXD records what was dispensed.
A newer REST and JSON standard built on resources such as MedicationRequest, MedicationDispense, Patient, and Location, used for modern integrations and APIs.
Integrations typically pass through the facility’s interface engine, such as Rhapsody, InterSystems HealthShare or Ensemble, Mirth Connect (NextGen Connect), Cloverleaf, or Epic Bridges, for mapping, routing, and logging. We work with the facility’s integration team.
The EHR or pharmacy system (for example Epic Willow, Oracle Health PharmNet, or a mail-order pharmacy system) sends orders through the interface engine to the pharmacy automation software or WCS, which directs the PLCs at dispensing, packaging, labeling, sorting, and verification equipment.
Where possible the PLC layer works with order and tote IDs, not patient data, keeping protected health information in the systems built to manage it.
TLS or VPN tunnels for MLLP and API traffic between systems.
Role-based access and logs of who did what, supporting your audit requirements.
Zones and conduits in line with ISA/IEC 62443 separate controls from hospital and business networks.
HIPAA applies to covered entities and their business associates. We design systems that support your compliance program rather than claiming compliance ourselves.
Patient and Rx labels printed from order data and verified by barcode with print, apply & verify stations.
Capabilities
Fixed scanners, tunnels, and verification logic for GS1 codes.
Divert timing, tracking, and recirculation for accurate routing.
Light-directed picking and put-walls integrated with your WCS.
Temperature monitoring, alarming, and logging for refrigerated and frozen zones.
Access control and interlock integration for secure cages and vaults.
Label printing and application with scan verification. More on print & apply.
Weight checks with automatic rejection to exception handling.
Clean message interfaces and clear operator screens.
Order and status interfaces between pharmacy systems, interface engines, and automation.
Panels built to UL 508A for every part of the system.
Modernized PLCs, scanners, and networks with planned cutovers.
Aggregation records parent/child relationships: these serialized units are in this case, and these cases are on this pallet (often identified by an SSCC). It lets a partner receive a pallet or case without opening it, as long as the aggregation data is accurate, which is why reliable scanning and exception handling at packing matter so much.
HL7 v2 is event-driven, pipe-delimited messaging pushed between systems, and remains the backbone of most hospital interfaces. FHIR exposes data as web resources over REST and JSON, which makes it easier to query and to build modern APIs. Many projects use both: v2 for established order feeds, FHIR for newer services.
Each HL7 v2 message is answered with an acknowledgement. An ACK (AA) confirms the receiver accepted it; an error or reject (AE/AR, often called a NAK) means it must be corrected or resent. Interfaces queue and retry until acknowledged, so orders aren’t silently lost.
Before a returned product is resold, the wholesaler verifies its product identifier (GTIN, serial, lot, and expiry) with the manufacturer, commonly through a verification router service. Scanning stations capture the identifier, the verification result is recorded, and items that fail are quarantined.
Next step
Tell us about your products, volumes, and systems, and we’ll help scope the scanning, routing, and controls.