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System and method for management of pharmacy workflow

  • US 20040088187A1
  • Filed: 10/30/2002
  • Published: 05/06/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for optimized management of workflow associated with fulfillment of medication prescription orders in a personnel-driven pharmacy operation, each prescription order including at least one prescription, and for minimizing a pharmacy workflow cost function associated with the fulfillment of the prescription orders, the system comprising:

  • a plurality of spaced-apart medication storage locations;

    a medication inventory including plural medications stored at predetermined storage locations;

    a control computer electronically connected to a pharmacy information system, said control computer configured to receive the prescription orders provided by the pharmacy information system and being programmed to perform the workflow optimization, said control computer including;

    a medication inventory database adapted to describe the medications stored at each predetermined storage location;

    a prescription order database adapted to store the received prescription orders;

    programmed instructions adapted to;

    minimize the cost function associated with fulfillment of the prescription orders stored in the prescription order database, said programmed instructions enabling;

    (1) for each prescription within the prescription order, selection of the medication storage location from which to obtain the medication required to fulfill the prescription; and

    (2) for each prescription order, determination of a prescription sequence corresponding to the sequence in which each prescription is fulfilled, first to last, within the prescription order;

    present in human-readable form, for each prescription order, the prescription sequence and the storage location of the medication comprising each sequenced prescription to direct the personnel to the storage locations, first to last, according to the prescription sequence; and

    generate a print_label command; and

    a label printer electronically connected to the control computer configured to print a label including prescription information and machine-readable indicia for each sequenced prescription responsive to the print_label command, said label being adapted for application to a container for each prescription within the prescription order.

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