Henry Ford Health and Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) have announced a collaboration for prescription services and medication storage.

The partnership will focus initially on a robotic solution allowing patients to collect prescriptions 24/7.

It introduces the BD Rowa Vmax pharmacy automation robot to Henry Ford Health's hospital-based community pharmacies across Southeast and Central Michigan, marking what BD describes as the first deployment in the US.

The system automates medication storage and dispensing processes using modular, high-speed technology.

It will enhance prescription retrieval at Henry Ford Health community pharmacies whilst supporting the health system's commitment to patient-centred care.

Henry Ford Health chief pharmacy officer Jennifer Tryon said: "Modern pharmacy needs industrial-grade reliability and human-centred design. That's the driving force behind our High Value Pharmacy Enterprise — uniting every pharmacy touchpoint under one vision to deliver safer care, better access and measurable outcomes.

"This partnership with BD advances that vision. By introducing this automation, we free our teams to focus on high-impact, patient-centred work. It's a bold step toward transforming how we serve our patients, our communities and our industry."

The automated system provides several operational advantages, including enhanced experiences for community pharmacies; high-capacity storage that retrieves prescriptions safely while boosting staff efficiency.

Other benefits include continuous prescription access to support continuity of care; real-time tracking of prescriptions with modular scalability; and storage for prescriptions, refrigerated medications, supplies and over-the-counter products.

BD Pharmacy Automation vice-president and general manager Chad Glover said: "Henry Ford Health has one of the most innovative and patient-centred visions for what a health system pharmacy can do for patients.

"BD's robotics and pharmacy automation technologies are well aligned to support such a vision, and we are looking forward to this initial implementation, as well as future collaborations to further advance Henry Ford Health's hospital and community pharmacies."