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Okeechobee Discount Drug Automates Prescription Dispensing
with PharmASSIST Symphony+ System
Independent Drug Store Cites PharmASSIST's
Comprehensive Quality as Key to Selection

JOHNSON CITY, NY - February 9, 2001 - Innovation Associates announces that Okeechobee Discount Drug has gone live with a PharmASSIST( Symphony+ System to automate their prescription dispensing and to optimize their pharmacy workflow. The Florida-based independent drug store cites the PharmASSIST Symphony+ System's comprehensive quality control features as the determining factor in their buying decision. Okeechobee Discount Drug is Innovation Associates' first independent drug store customer.

"After carefully evaluating the various automated prescription dispensing systems, I selected PharmASSIST mainly because it met my requirements for high quality prescription filling," says Steve Nelson, owner of Okeechobee Discount Drug for the past 18 years. "Innovation's PharmASSIST system enables me to make good on my promise of providing quality care to my customers. Speed is not nearly as important to me. I care most about what I put my label and my name on. Quality filling is my number one priority."

Okeechobee Discount Drug's PharmASSIST Symphony+ System is customized to meet the store's weekly volume of over 1900 prescription orders. It consists of 2 PharmASSIST cabinets, 100 dispensers, and 4 workstations, which they use to guide their pharmacy workflow. The system is also fully integrated with the store's PC5 pharmacy management system. According to Nelson, "During our peak filling periods, we have two pharmacists and six pharmacy technicians working with PharmASSIST and we fill a high number of orders with ease. We use almost every single function within the system(from scanning doctors' original paper scripts during order entry to viewing electronic images of original scripts and medications during order verification," Nelson adds, "Our staff can also easily track prescriptions throughout their lifecycle and have found the dispenser replenishment process and original script image retrieval to be huge timesavers in our busy pharmacy setting."

The PharmASSIST Symphony+ System is Innovation Associates' high quality dispensing and workflow automation solution that enables pharmacies to create their optimum workflow. Depending on prescription volume and available physical space, a pharmacy can configure an Symphony+ System that consists of 1-4 cabinets, the PharmASSIST Workflow Software, and any number of workstations for order entry, automatic and manual filling, and order verification.

Innovation Associates Chairman and Chief Technology Office Harry Boyer comments, "Okeechobee Discount Drug is really at the forefront of automated prescription dispensing for the independent market. They presented a number of challenges for us and our team worked closely with them to meet their various requirements," Boyer continues, "The real key to our success here is Steve Nelson. He understands the benefits of automation to a pharmacy, especially the quality aspects, and is a real innovator. We're proud that he has selected Innovation to be his automation partner."

Innovation Associates, Inc., a leader in the world of automated prescription dispensing, offers the PharmASSIST family of products to address the prescription growth, quality assurance, pharmacy workflow, and cost control challenges of all size pharmacies. With over 25 years of broad-based, business experience, Innovation Associates is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality pharmacy automation products to the retail pharmacy industry. For more information on Innovation Associates, Inc., visit www.innovat.com.

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