Quality control in pharmaceutical care

Hospitals are good at building business cases. But after go-live… we often stop measuring.

👉 And that’s where it goes wrong.

Most transformations enter the Valley of Disappointment.

Early results seem underwhelming. Not because the system fails, but because the organisation is still learning.

👉 The real value comes later.
But by then… we’ve stopped looking.

That’s why transformation is not a project. It’s a learning process.

Great to discuss this with: Francine de Stoppelaar, Sonja Guntschnig, Daniele Bellavia and Kandarp Thakkar at The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) congress two weeks ago.

Have you seen this “valley” in your organisation?

hashtag#DigitalTransformation hashtag#CLMM hashtag#HospitalPharmacy hashtag#Leadership

A week ago in Barcelona… and it already feels like a tradition.

Last Thursday, members of The Asclepius Project came together again during the The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) Congress — this time in Barcelona.

What started as a meet-up is quickly becoming something more: a community that shows up, contributes, and connects.

This year, Asclepius was strongly represented — both in the congress programme and on the exhibition floor.

🔹 Synergy Satellite Session (Part 1)
Pharmacy leaders of tomorrow – Driving digital transformation in smarter medication management
Together with Francine de Stoppelaar, I had the pleasure of speaking to a room of 826 participants about the leadership skills required to truly drive digital transformation.

🔹 EAHP Spotlight Tour
I guided 30+ delegates across the exhibition — engaging directly with innovators shaping the future of medication management.

🔹 SIG Interoperability Session
Under the moderation of Louis Bertin, Francine de Stoppelaar and Patrick Koch presented:
“One language for all pharmacy robots: from blueprint to reality”
A concrete step forward in the journey toward seamless interoperability — supported by a live showcase with multiple vendors.

🔹 Automation in Hospital Pharmacy (The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP)–Le CUAP Session)
A strong cross-country perspective from Sandrine Wustefeld, Guillaume Sujol and Ariadna Pérez Ricart.

What stood out most?
The conversations afterwards. The energy. The recognition.

Across the congress, I spoke with many colleagues who feel that something is building — not just ideas, but momentum.

Interested in being part of that? Let us know.

(And yes — the traditional Asclepius get-together afterwards didn’t disappoint either 🍷)
Andre RIEUTORD
anders westermark
Camilla Romundstad
Elin Bergene
Etienne COUSEIN
Harald Langaas
Koen van Rhee
Lene Sæther Sandblost
Louis Bertin
Marianne Hald Clemmensen
Martin Hug
Mattias Paulsson
Sandrine Wustefeld
Thomas Bäckstrøm
Tinna Ægisdóttir
Arnthrudur Jonsdottir
Francine de Stoppelaar
Patrick Koch

This is something we increasingly recognise in conversations with hospital pharmacists across Europe. Because when pharmacists start leading programmes such as Closed Loop Medication Management (CLMM), their role changes fundamentally.

“You move from managing medicines… to designing medication systems.”

Together with hospital pharmacists, we developed the Leadership Architecture — a framework describing the capabilities needed in this evolving role. From personal and team leadership to communication, strategic and change leadership.

Grateful to have shared this perspective during the The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) Synergy Satellite Part 1 session together with Francine de Stoppelaar, under the great moderation of Sonja Guntschnig, and alongside inspiring contributions from Daniele Bellavia and Kandarp Thakkar.

How are we preparing pharmacy leaders for the role we expect them to take?

826 people in the room.
That says something.
Not just about attendance — but about urgency.

Digital transformation, Closed Loop Medication Management and pharmacy leadership are clearly no longer niche topics in hospital pharmacy.

They are becoming central.

Together with Francine de Stoppelaar, we had the privilege to share our perspective at the The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) Congress in Barcelona.

A few messages from the session that seemed to resonate strongly:
💡 “Technology is rarely the limiting factor in healthcare transformation. Leadership capability is.”
💡 “CLMM is not a machine you buy. It is a strategic redesign of the entire medication system.”
💡 “If pharmacy leaders are not at the table during the design phase… others will design the medication system for us.”
💡 “Digital transformation is not a technology project. It is a stakeholder puzzle.”
💡 “Are we simply managing medicines… or designing the medication system of the future?”
💡 “Are you a medication expert — or a medication system architect?”
💡 “Leadership is the bridge between vision and reality.”

What stood out most?
The conversation is shifting.
From:
→ automation
→ systems
→ tools

To:
→ leadership
→ governance
→ collaboration

Excellent moderation by Sonja Guntschnig and Francine de Stoppelaar.

And in Part 2, Kandarp Thakkar and Daniele Bellavia took it further:

👉 How do you actually convince your board to invest in transformation?

Because in the end, transformation is not about ideas.
It is about decisions.
Curious to hear your view:

👉 Where is your organisation today — still optimising, or truly redesigning the medication system?

hashtag#EAHP2026 hashtag#HospitalPharmacy hashtag#DigitalTransformation hashtag#CLMM hashtag#Med

Twee volle kennissessies, veel scherpe vragen en een zaal vol nieuwsgierigheid naar slimme logistiek in de zorg.

Vandaag waren we met Ambyon aanwezig op het symposium Zorg op z’n Best, georganiseerd door Brocacef en NVFZ , in het prachtige Spoorwegmuseum in Utrecht.

Tijdens onze kennissessies “Slimme zorg op wielen: bezorgrobot medicatie” gingen we in gesprek met apothekersassistenten en farmaceutisch medewerkers over de rol van logistiek in de ziekenhuisapotheek.

De interactie met het publiek was geweldig. We kregen veel nieuwsgierige en praktische vragen, zoals:
💊 Kan de robot ook naar andere locaties rijden?
💊 Wat maakt Ambyon anders dan andere robots?
💊 Hoe zit het met privacy en AVG als de robot camera’s gebruikt?
💊 Kan de robot deuren openen of liften bedienen?
💊 Hoeveel tijd kan zo’n robot eigenlijk besparen?
💊 Kan de robot ook bereidingen of opiaten vervoeren?

Het laat zien hoe groot de interesse is in slimme logistieke oplossingen die zorgprofessionals helpen om meer tijd vrij te maken voor patiëntgerichte zorg.

Wat we in de zorg kunnen leren van andere sectoren werd ons verteld door Joris Arts MHA en Jesper Rijpma zorgde weer voor de energieke en bezielende leiding van de dag.

Een groot dankjewel aan Patricia Knottenbelt en Lotte C Paalvast-Spijkers voor de uitnodiging!

Ook mooi om te spreken met Claartje Samson-Corbeij, MBA, Ralf Kroder, Marco Borst, Steffen Land.

En natuurlijk dank aan Inès van Haaften voor de fijne samenwerking rondom deze sessies – smaakt naar meer!

Mooi om te zien dat Willem-Jan Lamers Ambyon vandaag ook op een andere plek in de schijnwerpers zette met de pitch voor de Nationale Zorginnovatieprijs!

💬 Vraag aan het netwerk:
Hoeveel tijd gaat er in jullie organisatie eigenlijk naar logistiek zoals ophalen, wegbrengen en transport van medicatie?

hashtag#zorgopznbest hashtag#symposium hashtag#brocacef hashtag#nvfz hashtag#Ambyon

Where expertise meets curiosity — connecting minds and advancing Closed Loop Medication Management

Last week we hosted the first Asclepius Project fieldtrip at Sykehusapotekene i Midt-Norge HF in Trondheim.

With Harald Langaas as our Proud Host, this was not a sightseeing tour but a deep dive into Closed Loop Medication Management (CLMM) within a Consolidated Pharmacy Service Centre (CPSC) — with real choices and real consequences.

Why Trondheim matters:
Across Europe, hospital pharmacies ask similar questions:
how to centralise without losing clinical ownership, how to scale unit dose safely, how digital systems connect, and how regulation and governance shape what’s possible. Central Norway answers with architecture, not slides:
– a regional CPSC, physically outside yet tightly connected to the hospital
– 7–8 million unit doses per year
– a pragmatic mix of pouch-picking, unit-dose overpacking, centralised dispensing, box dispatch and box picking
– fully aligned with the EHR and patient-safety goals
In short: CLMM as public infrastructure, not a pilot.

What stayed with us:
– Space with purpose.
– Combination over purity.
– Governance that forces clarity — challenging at times, healthy by design.
– And a shared conviction: CLMM is an end-to-end system outcome (and yes, nurses matter).

Learning together
During the workshop, with cases from across Europe and a NextLevel CLMM case from KERN Katholische Einrichtungen Ruhrgebiet Nord GmbH, we explored where centralisation adds value, stakeholder tensions, business cases beyond “saving FTEs”, and IT and regulatory grey zones.

Somewhere between serious debate and Norwegian coffee, the focus shifted from systems to people in systems.

There was also life outside CLMM: snow, cancelled flights, creative rerouting, great food and even better conversations — reminding us why working with people matters as much as what they know.

This was the first Asclepius Project fieldtrip.
It won’t be the last. More insights will follow via The Asclepius Project.

Participants – Asclepius Project Fieldtrip Trondheim 2026 (present or remote):
Andre RIEUTORD
Camilla Romundstad
Elin Bergene
Francine de Stoppelaar
Guillaume Sujol
Harald Langaas
Helena Pinto Hov
Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir
Koen van Rhee
Kristin G Kristiansen
Kristina Eriksen
Lene Sæther Sandblost
Marion Moine
Marianne Hald Clemmensen
Patrick van Oirschot
Patrick Koch
Philipp Ritzeler
Sandrine Wustefeld
Sara M. Volstad
Thomas Bäckstrøm
Tinna Ægisdóttir

As 2025 came to a close and we have stepped into 2026, it feels like the right moment to pause, reflect — and look ahead.

The past year was shaped by collaboration, trust and a shared ambition to move hospital pharmacy forward in a meaningful and sustainable way. Together with colleagues and partners across Europe, we worked on:
👉 Preparing two Closed Loop Medication Management projects, translating vision into practical readiness
👉 Developing a Unit Dose Management concept and planning framework for a complex university hospital setting
👉 Assessing the impact of medicine shortages, Unit Dose and add-on medication on hospital IT architectures
👉 Creating a hospital pharmacy of the future — ambitious, but grounded in operational reality
👉 Supporting 3D-printed medicines (3DP) initiatives, from congress preparations to strategic positioning within a French hospital group
👉 Contributing as speaker, panel guest and moderator at international conferences and symposia 🎤
👉 Preparing a field trip to a Consolidated Pharmacy Service Center in Norway
Supporting start-ups in 3DP, AI and autonomous logistics solutions for healthcare
👉 Developing an EAHP masterclass, focused on digital transformation, automation, strategy and leadership

Much of this work happened quite literally in motion.
2025 meant many kilometres by train across Europe — time well spent to think, write, reflect and connect. A conscious choice for more sustainable travel, and one that fits how we want to work going forward 🌍🚆.

There were also countless conversations, workshops, whiteboards, coffees and moments where professional collaboration turned into genuine connection. Thanks to my many partners from The Asclepius Project, Peka Management & Consulting, Bazan Managementgesellschaft mbH, elfnullelf Public Affairs-Beratung, Deloitte, The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP), DiHeSys Digital Health Systems GmbH, SmartMed B.V.

Onwards into 2026
with purpose over pace, collaboration over silos, and sustainable choices guiding the way.

If our paths crossed in 2025, let’s continue the conversation.
If not yet — 2026 might be the perfect moment to connect.

Yesterday I’ve finished the first day of the The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) BOOST — a day full of sharp insights and, above all, a clear message: Supply Chain strategies for a shortage-free world remains one of the biggest challenges across Europe. And that’s exactly why I’m excited to look ahead to next year.

I’m delighted to share that I’ll be speaking at next year’s The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) Synergy Satellite in Barcelona together with Francine de Stoppelaar — and trust me, this is one session you’ll want to mark in your calendar.

We’ll explore a very important challenge in European hospital pharmacy today:
how to move from fragmented medication processes to true Closed Loop Medication Management — not as a buzzword, but as a practical, achievable reality.

We’ll take you behind the scenes of real projects across Europe:
the successes, the setbacks, the architecture choices, the business cases, the human factors … and yes, even the “why-did-we-ever-do-it-like-that?” moments we all know so well.

Expect a session that’s practical, interactive, and honest — with tools you can take home and apply the very next day. If you’re working on digital transformation, CLMM, automation, Unit-Dose, medication safety, or strategic planning, this Synergy Satellite is designed for you.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you there, exchanging experiences, and shaping the future of hospital pharmacy together.

Warm greetings from Prague — a city of history and reflection — as we look ahead to Barcelona, a city of energy and momentum. The perfect bridge: learning from the past, and building the future together.

The Asclepius Project founders:
Patrick Koch
Francine de Stoppelaar
Patrick van Oirschot

hashtag#EAHPBOOST2025 hashtag#EAHP2026 hashtag#AsclepiusProject hashtag#CLMM

This weekend, I celebrated a special milestone: 12.5 years as an entrepreneur.

But this journey hasn’t been mine alone. While I’ve been travelling across Europe — working on hospital pharmacy transformation, Closed Loop Medication Management, and building visions and strategies with GPP Support B.V. — my family has been on this journey with me.

They’ve lived the stories, the excitement, the long days, the phone calls at dinner time. And they’ve always welcomed me back with open arms, ready to hear how things went in Apeldoorn, Bamberg, Cottbus, Gelsenkirchen, Paris, Nijmegen, Regensburg, or wherever the next project had taken me.

I’ve never once regretted taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Supporting pharmacists and healthcare innovators in making medication therapy safer, smarter, and more efficient remains one of the most meaningful things I can imagine doing.

To top it off, my rock, Claudi Eras, organised a perfect day in ’s-Hertogenbosch to celebrate — with art, design, great food, and a magical candlelit concert blending classical music with Coldplay and Imagine Dragons. It reminded me once again: it’s not just about the journey, but about who’s walking it with you. ❤️