Singapore's National University Health System (NUHS) has deployed an AI-powered pharmacy platform that could save up to 850 pharmacist hours per week and S$2 million (US$1.5 million) annually, addressing rising demand from an aging population. The NUHS Cluster AI in Pharmacy (NCAIP) platform combines four tools to automate medication reconciliation, triage, and verification across its network, which serves about 1.2 million residents in western Singapore.
How NCAIP works
The platform runs on ENDEAVOUR AI, NUHS' real-time data infrastructure that integrates with core datasets and provides a scalable environment for developing AI agents. Admission MedRecon and Discharge MedRecon compare medication lists when patients enter or leave the hospital and flag discrepancies. MedTriage identifies patients who need in-person pharmacist counselling, while MedVerify reviews medication orders for dosing errors, contraindications, and drug interactions, highlighting cases that require intervention.
Tan Chwee Huat, NCAIP project director and a consultant pharmacist at Alexandra Hospital, said the ENDEAVOUR AI base "made the development journey a lot smoother, and we were able to see promising results early in the development phase without incurring significant costs." Pharmacists retain final responsibility for all clinical decisions; the tools generate recommendations only.
Validation results and team effort
The core team of 26 included pharmacists, developers, and a project manager, supported by 17 additional pharmacists and interns. They reviewed nearly 1,600 cases over six months. Admission MedRecon achieved over 88% accuracy, Discharge MedRecon surpassed 90%, MedTriage correctly identified every patient requiring counselling, and MedVerify exceeded 95% accuracy in reviewing medication orders.
"The meetings were relentless, as we needed to have regular marathon sessions lasting up to three hours just to run through cases and determine the results objectively and consistently," Tan said.
Rollout and projected savings
MedTriage has secured funding and is expected to launch across NUHS by the end of 2027. In initial runs, it saved up to 94 manhours per week and reduced in-person dispensing by as much as 20%. Patients will be able to order medication refills online and collect them via lockers or home delivery when MedTriage determines counselling is unnecessary.
NUHS is seeking government funding for MedVerify and MedRecon; if approved, they could roll out progressively from early 2028. With all four tools active, the weekly time savings translate to roughly 850 hours, equivalent to more than 20 full-time pharmacists, and the annual cost reduction of S$2 million. The platform reflects a broader shift toward AI for Healthcare as systems move from isolated pilots to enterprise-wide deployment. NUHS has presented NCAIP to pharmacy heads at other public health institutions and polyclinics, exploring collaboration and a possible nationwide rollout with government support.
Why this matters for healthcare professionals
For pharmacists and healthcare administrators, NCAIP demonstrates a practical model for integrating AI into high-volume clinical workflows without removing human oversight. By automating routine reconciliation, triage, and verification, the platform frees pharmacists to spend more time on complex cases-heart failure, diabetes, renal disease-and to participate in multidisciplinary ward rounds and precision medicine initiatives. The validation data shows that AI can achieve high accuracy in these tasks, but the human-in-the-loop design ensures that clinical judgment remains central. As health systems face staffing pressures and growing demand, tools like NCAIP offer a concrete path to sustain quality while expanding services.
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