DANVILLE -- "Please open door for Tug," a robotic voice announced as the Tug approached a locked door at Geisinger Medical Center's pharmacy.
Tugs resemble a motorized filing cabinet made of smooth, white plastic, with buttons and blinking lights on top.
Geisinger uses five such robots. While they may not be flesh and blood, and need help opening some doors, they are still some of the hardest workers in the hospital.
Last year, the five Tugs traveled more than 6,000 miles.
"The reason why they exist is to increase efficiency of pharmacy technicians in dispensing medications," said Claude Parnell, operations manager for System Therapeutics.
The three Tugs used by Parnell's department -- nicknamed Maddie, Addie and Roxie -- deliver medications and other pharmacy supplies throughout the campus.
From January through November last year, the three Tugs used by Geisinger's pharmacy department made 11,295 deliveries, or about 1,025 a month.
If each delivery takes about 15 minutes, then the robots worked a total of 2,823.75 man-hours, or the work hours of 1.35 full-time employees.
Medicine deliveries
There are two ways medications are transported in the hospital. The first is through a pneumatic tube system, similar to one used in a bank.
Medicines are placed in a plastic container and inserted in a tube which whisks the contents to different parts of the hospital.
The downside of the tube system, said Parnell, is that it is used by the whole health system and can become backed up. A container can sit for 15 minutes before the tube is cleared enough to take it, and that time can make a big difference when a patient needs medicine.
In addition, some medicines which have a high cost or are carefully controlled cannot be sent in the tubes for fear they may end up in the wrong location.
The Tugs, on the other hand, are an efficient form of delivery that can safeguard a substance until it reaches its destination.
Each of the five Tugs has a compartment that can be locked. The ones in supply chain use a numbered keypad to open, while the pharmacy Tugs use a lock that can only be opened with a thumbprint scan.
A Tug's route is plotted by wireless programming, and it knows not to open its payload until it reaches its destination. This way, somebody cannot unlock a Tug's door in the middle of its journey and steal its cargo.
"These units are really the time-savers," said Parnell. The three tugs in his department make about 200 trips a week, saving his staff the time of having to walk down the halls delivering medication by hand.
Supply chain
The same goes for the supply chain Tugs. The 20 minutes spent by those Tugs making deliveries to the Janet Weis Children's Hospital is additional time the supply chain staff can fulfill other orders.
"It really does save technician man hours" and allows them to focus on their primary duties in the pharmacy, Parnell said.
The pharmacy Tugs all have their own separate routes. Roxie carries supplies to the Janet Weis Children's Hospital and Hospital for Advanced Medicine, Abbie transports medicine to the Abigail Pavilion and Maddie is sent to the Bush Pavilion.
Chuck and Mesa are the two Tugs used by the supply chain services. Chuck makes deliveries for the store room while Mesa is used for medical equipment supplies.
These Tugs were first introduced in 2005. Chuck covered almost 1,200 miles of ground his first year in service and 1,800 last year, said Mike Whitenight, logistics operator for Geisinger's supply chain services. "He goes out about 13, 14 trips a day."
Chuck and Mesa are generally used to send small equipment such as pumps and IV solution throughout the hospital.
The newer models used by the pharmacy were obtained about a year ago.
The Tugs can communicate with elevators to pick them up and once inside will turn around automatically so that they are facing the door, letting them easily roll out when the elevator stops.
A Tug can also shoot an invisible ray in front of it to detect obstructions and move around them and can open certain doors that require badge keys to access.
Each Tug has a docking station it rests at to recharge in between trips. A control panel by each station allows the Tug to be programmed to go to six or seven destinations before it returns to its home.
"It's a great companion," said Parnell.
