ATM-style drug machines will have an expanded role in Ontario hospitals. (PharmaTrust)

MedCentre machines, a Canadian innovation that provides pharmaceutical service through an ATM-like device, will have a much wider presence in hospitals after the operator's signing of an agreement with the Ontario Telemedicine Network.

OTN is a government-supported initiative that already links more than 1,000 hospitals and health facilities in the province to provide teleconferencing, long-distance medical support, training and patient care.

Partnering with PharmaTrust, which operates the MedCentres, makes good sense, according to the network's CEO Dr. Ed Brown.

'They have a great application, I really like what they're trying to do.'—Dr. Ed Brown, Ontario Telemedicine Network

"Our role in this will be really ensuring that their technology works seamlessly with our members' technology at the other end," Brown said in an interview with CBC News.

"They have a great application, I really like what they're trying to do."

The application, which some describe as "pharmacist in a box," is able to provide round-the-clock pharmacy services. It links a trained pharmacist to the patient through a two-way audio-video line. A scanner allows the pharmacist to read a prescription, which is then filled using drugs stored in the machine.

The units have been tested at three locations in Ontario for several months, and the company recently signed a deal to provide MedCentre machines in Great Britain.

The drug kiosks in hospitals can provide 24-hour service, seven days a week. (PharmaTrust)

Steve Gesner, the chief information officer at PharmaTrust, said the deal with OTN will allow the company to quickly deploy MedCentres in a number of the province's hospitals.

"What we hope to do with them is lever their networking capabilities to be able to work with the hospitals and deploy our MedCentres very quickly so that the patients at the hospital can get easy convenient access to prescription medications 24 hours a day," he told CBC News.

It's unclear how quickly the machines will be up and running. Gesner said discussions are continuing with about 30 health facilities, with six to 10 showing strong interest in adopting the new technology.