LONE TREE, Colo. -- After making news when a pharmacist gave a customer the wrong prescription, Safeway is rolling out new automated prescription dispensers in Colorado.

The Script Centers work like automated teller machines. Customers who enroll in the program can pick up their medications at an automated machine at Safeway in Lone Tree and Boulder.

New medications are not dispensed in the machine. The store's pharmacy still requires face-to-face interaction for new medications and controlled medications like OxyContin.

Last month, Mareena Silva picked up medication at a Fort Lupton Safeway, only to learn the medicine was meant for someone else. Silva, who was 6 weeks pregnant, took one of the pills before she realized it wasn't the medicine she expected.

The pill was Methotrexate, and can cause birth defects or act as an abortion pill for pregnant women.

She's still being monitored to see if there are any effects on her pregnancy.

A Safeway spokeswoman told 7NEWS that the Script Center is not a response to that incident.

"We are seeing dozens of customers use this," said Brian Pavur, Safeway's pharmacy division operations manager.

Safeway has used the automated machines on the West Coast for years as a way to let customers pick up medication without having to wait in line.

"It's intended for refillable prescriptions, maintenance medications," said Pavur.

To access the prescription, customers must enroll with their birth date and Safeway prescription number. The kiosk prompts users to input their birth date, a user ID and a personal identification number, a security question and answer and gives the option to enter an e-mail address and phone number.

Instead of using a user ID and PIN, customers can choose to scan their fingerprint for one-touch access.

"Have you ever had an instance where it has made a mistake?" asked 7NEWS reporter Marshall Zelinger.

"The machine is very safe. There have been no mistakes made," said Pavur.

7NEWS wanted to know how the machine makes sure the right medicine gets to the right person. There's still the chance for human error. Pharmacy staff must still fill the prescription, put the bottle in a sealed bar-coded bag and then place the bag in one of dozens of trays in the automated machine.

"Once the machine closes, a bar-code reader scans all the trays, all the bar-codes, so it knows exactly where that prescription is," said Marc Stuive, Safeway's regional pharmacy manager.

The machine is typically loaded two or three times a day, and is accessible as long as the store is open, even if the pharmacy is already closed.

Besides the user ID and PIN and fingerprint options, the machine has other security features. The screen shuts off and goes back to the main screen if it hasn't been touched in 15 to 20 seconds. If medication isn't taken out of the bin within 15 seconds, it closes and the medicine gets dumped in a tray inside the machine that would require a pharmacist to retrieve it. Just like a money ATM, a small camera takes the photograph of everyone who uses the machine.

There's also a safety feature for refills when pharmacists would rather talk to the customer first.

"If there's ever an occurrence where the pharmacist would like to speak to you about your medication, the machine will alert you to see the pharmacy," said Pavur.