Hy-Vee has a new worker filling prescriptions at its pharmacy in Marshalltown, Iowa, and he's making quite an impression on the boss, co-workers and customers.
The new guy, it turns out, isn't a guy at all. It's a pharmacy robot that takes electronic orders for prescriptions, counts out meds, labels bottles and sends them on to technicians for verifying before customers come to pick them up.
Jim Merulla, a store director for the Hy-Vee, told the Times-Republican that the robot is able to do the job of two pharmacists and it takes some of the stress off of technicians.
"It frees up employees to go help customers," he said. "And it eliminates human error."
Hy-Vee helps the robot stay ahead of the game by having the top 200 drugs purchased by consumers in stock. Those items represent 57 percent of all prescriptions filled by the store. Pharmacy staff steps in to fill the exceptions.
"A customer can walk in and in five minutes it's ready to go - as long as it's one that's in the machine," he said.
Vicki Tice, a pharmacy technician with Hy-Vee, said, "By 10 a.m. we're filling 100 prescriptions. Usually counting them takes three to four hours, but now we keep right on top of it," she said.
The customers have also noticed the difference, said Ms. Tice. "They can't help but like the fact that they're getting it quicker. It's a win-win situation," she said.
Discussion Questions: Will robotics become commonplace in retail pharmacy operations? How will robotics impact other aspects of the retailing business in the future?