Most pharmacies still hand out prescriptions the same way they always have: a patient arrives at the counter, a member of staff locates their bag, checks it against the prescription, and hands it over. It works, but it also ties up staff time and only works within opening hours.
MedLocker takes a different approach — a secure, self-service kiosk that lets patients collect prescriptions themselves, including outside normal opening hours. Here’s how the two compare in practice.
Collection hours
Traditional counter collection is limited to whenever the pharmacy is physically open and staffed. A patient who can’t get there during those hours has to wait, or ask someone else to collect on their behalf.
MedLocker allows 24/7 collection, including around-the-clock access for patients who work shifts, commute early, or simply can’t make it during the working day.
Staff time per collection
Traditional counter collection means a staff member stops what they’re doing every time a patient arrives — locating the bag, checking it against the prescription, and handing it over. Individually quick, but it adds up across a busy day.
MedLocker removes that repeated interruption. AcornRX’s own material states the system can save an average of two minutes per collection — which, for a pharmacy processing a high volume of collections, adds up to a meaningful amount of reclaimed staff time over a month. We’ve broken this down in more detail in how MedLocker helps pharmacies create capacity.
Patient certainty
Traditional counter collection often means patients aren’t sure whether their prescription is actually ready, leading to repeat phone calls and visits “just to check.”
MedLocker can notify patients automatically once their prescription is loaded and ready, removing the guesswork and the resulting phone traffic for staff to field.
Security and tracking
Traditional counter collection relies on staff manually verifying identity and matching the right bag to the right patient at the point of handover.
MedLocker uses a unique collection code per patient, so only the intended recipient can retrieve their medication from the kiosk — with a digital record of exactly when each item was loaded and collected.
Space and setup
Traditional counter collection needs no additional equipment, but it does mean prescription storage competes for space behind an already busy counter.
MedLocker is available in a range of sizes and configurations, including refrigerated options for temperature-sensitive medication, and can be positioned inside the pharmacy or externally for genuinely independent 24/7 access.
Which one is right for your pharmacy?
Traditional counter collection isn’t obsolete — for lower-volume pharmacies, or those with predictable, concentrated collection times, it can still work perfectly well. But for pharmacies dealing with high collection volumes, frequent “is it ready?” queries, or patients who need access outside normal hours, MedLocker addresses those specific pressure points directly rather than asking staff to simply absorb them.
MedLocker can also work alongside Scriptlife for prescription storage and tracking, giving a fully joined-up collection workflow from the moment a prescription is dispensed to the moment it’s collected.
Curious whether MedLocker fits your pharmacy?
Explore the full range on our MedLocker prescription collection kiosks page, or get in touch with the AcornRX team to talk through your specific collection volumes and requirements.
