Robot fills prescriptions

ALBANY - A hospital in southwest Georgia has a million dollar robot to fill prescriptions. <br> <br> The robot is at work at Phoebe Putney Hospital&#39;s pharmacy, filling up to 1,800 prescriptions every day. <br> <br> Each dose is packaged and bar-coded. <br> <br> The hospital is the seventh in the state to buy a robot. Employees are in the midst of a naming contest. One of the most popular suggestions is Elvis. <br> <br> The mechanical pharmacist drops pills or sealed cups of liquid into envelopes, which are quickly delivered to the patients. The machine stands quiet for a few minutes until the next order comes in and the robot whizzes back to life. It&#39;s a process that repeats itself about one-thousand times a day. <br> <br> Pharmacist Randy Carver says the robot has been fully operational for about a month and helps fill more than 75 percent of the medications needed for the hospital&#39;s patients. <br> <br> The narcotics and drugs that require refrigeration will continue to be filled by pharmaceutical technicians. <br> <br> Officials said drug costs for patients won&#39;t increase because of the robot. <br> <br> Carver said in the beginning, pharmacists double-checked every order filled by the machine and found 100 percent accuracy. Now, pharmacists spot check the robot&#39;s orders to make sure there aren&#39;t any mistakes.