New York, New York – Metropolitan Hospital Center has invested in two new robotic prescription-filling systems that Pharmacists say will provide patients with safer and more efficient service. The $1.4M modernization systems are part of the hospital’s overall effort to increase patient safety. "We are re-engineering our pharmacy operations, making technological enhancements to improve services to patients," stated Meryl Weinberg, Executive Director of Metropolitan Hospital Center. "These new robots will provide our patients and visitors with fast, safe and efficient service."

PARATA is capable of filling medicine bottles with medication, capping, labeling and finally sorting by patient name.

The outpatient PARATA Robotic Dispensing System is capable of filling medicine bottles with medication, capping, labeling and finally sorting by patient name. The system fills up to 154 prescriptions per hour compared with the 50 prescriptions filled manually by two technicians. "This technology allows us to easily manage our growing prescription volume with more efficiency and accuracy, and frees pharmacists’ time to spend with patients," says Carol Ng, RPH, MS, Director of Pharmacy.

The new inpatient robot, named "ROBOPHARM" by staff, also automates the packaging and labeling of prescriptions dispensed to the units. "Bar code scanning, high speed packaging and the hospital’s synchronized MISYS information system, enables ROBOPHARM to expedite bedside medication, reduce errors, and provide long-term hospital cost savings," Ng continued.

ROBOPHARM automates the packaging and labeling of prescriptions dispensed to the units.

Metropolitan Hospital Center, located at 1901 Second Avenue in East Harlem, is a full service, top rated facility, providing culturally sensitive, modern medical care. A member of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, it is a leader in primary care medicine, Women’s Health and issues of concern to this community. Metropolitan Hospital recently the 2006 Davies Award of Excellence (along with the Generation s+/Northern Manhattan health Network) from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, for its fully integrated electronic health records system.