Armed Forces News

TRICARE, the Defense Department’s managed health-care plan, is in preparations to test the use of machines that would dispense prescription medications much like ATMs offer cash. The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) reported that the agency is already in a pilot program with several such machines, which were developed by the Ontario-based MedAvail Technologies Inc. TRICARE beneficiaries would use them through the Express Scripts program. Approved prescriptions would be dispensed within about 90 seconds, and the machines would be available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The machines would not be able to dispense medications that require refrigeration or certain narcotics.