Medical item inventory monitoring system with automatic electronic reordering

• US 20060190130A1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AutoMed Technologies Incorporated (Cencora, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AutoMed Technologies Incorporated (Cencora, Inc.)
• Inventors: Colburn, Eric R., McGrady, R. Michael, Fedor, Max A., Neu, Daniel W., Gillio, Robert G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 7/04 Counting of piece goods, e.g. of boxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A medical item inventory system includes a plurality of different types of stored medical items. The system includes medical item dispenser devices which can be selectively operated to dispense requested medical items to authorized users. The system can monitor the medical item inventory to automatically determine a low supply of a particular medical item type. In response to a determination of a low supply of a particular medical item type, the system automatically electronically places a purchase order to a supplier of the particular medical item type. The purchase order includes the particular medical item type, a requested quantity, and a requested delivery date. The requested quantity and delivery date can both be calculated by the system based on a rate of use of the particular medical item type.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) operating a medical inventory monitoring system to cause automatic determination of a low supply of a particular medical item type;

(b) responsive to a low supply determination in step (a), causing automatic operation the medical inventory monitoring system to automatically place at least one medical item order.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one medical item order includes at least one medical item replenish order, wherein (b) includes automatically placing a replenish order corresponding to the particular medical item type.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein in (a), determination of the low supply includes determining that a predetermined low supply level of the particular medical item type has been attained, wherein (b) includes automatically electronically placing the replenish order.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the medical inventory monitoring system includes at least one computer, at least one computer program, and a modem, wherein (b) includes performing at least a portion of the at least one computer program with the at least one computer to automatically electronically send the replenish order via the modem to a location remote from the medical inventory monitoring system.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein the replenish order includes a requested quantity of the particular medical item type, wherein (b) includes automatically electronically sending the replenish order including the requested quantity.

6. The method according to claim 5 and further comprising

(c) prior to step (a), determining a predetermined quantity of the particular medical item type,

wherein the requested quantity comprises the predetermined quantity, wherein (b) includes automatically placing the replenish order including the predetermined quantity.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein (b) is subsequent to (a), wherein (b) includes prior to placing the replenish order, automatically operating at least one computer of the medical inventory monitoring system to calculate the requested quantity of the particular medical item type.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein (b) includes calculating the requested quantity based on a rate of use of the particular medical item type.

9. The method according to claim 2 wherein the replenish order includes a requested delivery date based on date of the order, wherein (b) includes automatically placing the replenish order including the requested delivery date.

10. The method according to claim 9 and further comprising determining a predetermined time period prior to step (a), and determining the requested delivery date based on the predetermined time period.

11. The method according to claim 9 subsequent to (a), automatically operating at least one computer of the medical inventory monitoring system to calculate the requested delivery date.

12. The method according to claim 2 wherein (a) includes operating the medical inventory monitoring system to cause automatic determination of a supply quantity of the particular medical item type reaching a first low supply level, and further comprising

(c) operating the medical inventory monitoring system to cause automatic determination of a supply quantity of the particular medical item type reaching a second low supply level, wherein the supply quantity at the second low supply level is less than supply quantity at the first low supply level.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein responsive to determination of the supply quantity of the particular medical item type reaching the first low supply level, automatically placing the replenish order including a non-rush delivery request, wherein a non-rush delivery request provides a greater time period for delivery than a rush delivery request.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein responsive to a determination of the supply quantity of the particular medical item type reaching the second low supply level, automatically placing the replenish order including a rush delivery request.

15. The method according to claim 2 wherein the replenish order includes a rush order delivery request, wherein (b) includes automatically placing the replenish order with the rush order delivery request.

16. The method according to claim 2 wherein the at least one medical item replenish order includes at least one purchase order, wherein the medical inventory monitoring system includes at least one computer and at least one computer program, wherein (a) includes operating the at least one computer program with the at least one computer to automatically determine a low supply of the particular medical item type, wherein (b) includes operating the at least one computer program with the at least one computer to automatically send a medical item purchase order corresponding to the particular medical item type responsive to the low supply determination in (a).

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein (b) includes operating the at least one computer program with the at least one computer to automatically electronically send the medical item purchase order to a manufacturer of the particular medical item type.

18. At least one article including computer readable media operative to cause at least one computer to carry out the method recited in claim 1.

19. Apparatus operating to perform the method recited in claim 1.

20. The method according to claim 1 wherein the medical inventory monitoring system includes a plurality of storage locations, wherein each storage location is adapted to hold at least one medical item, and further comprising:

storing at least one unit of each of a plurality of types of medical items in a plurality of storage locations of the medical inventory monitoring system during a medical item replenishing operation, wherein each storage location holds only one type of medical item, wherein at least one unit of the particular medical item type is stored in a storage location;

modifying a data store to include data representative of the storing of the plurality of types of medical items;

inputting patient identifying data to a data entry device, wherein the data entry device is in operative connection with the data store;

removing a unit of the particular medical item type from the storage location for the patient;

modifying the data store using at least one computer to include data representative of a dispense of the unit for the patient responsive to the removing and the inputting steps.

21. The method according to claim 20 and further comprising:

storing data representative of a plurality of authorized users of the medical inventory monitoring system in the data store;

receiving user identifying data from a user through a user data entry device;

determining with the at least one computer that the received user identifying data corresponds to data for an authorized user stored in the data store,

enabling performance of the removing step responsive to the determining.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the medical inventory monitoring system includes at least one medical item dispenser device, wherein the enabling performance step includes providing the user access to the unit by operating a medical item dispenser device to dispense the unit to the user.

23. The method according to claim 21 wherein the medical inventory monitoring system includes at least one drawer, wherein the enabling performance step includes providing the user access to the unit by unlocking an electronic lock drawer via the at least one computer.

24. A method comprising:

(a) automatically determining via operation of a medical inventory monitoring system including at least one computer that a stored supply level of a particular medical item type has reached a predetermined low supply level;

(b) determining a quantity of the particular medical item type to order;

(c) responsive to the determining in steps (a) and (b), automatically electronically sending a replenishment order corresponding to the particular medical item type to a device remote from the medical inventory monitoring system via operation of the at least one computer, wherein the replenishment order includes both a requested quantity of the particular medical item type determined in step (b) and a period of time in which delivery of the requested quantity is expected.

25. A method comprising:

(a) storing a plurality of types of medical items in a plurality of storage locations of a medical inventory monitoring system, wherein at least one unit of a particular medical item type is stored in a storage location of the medical inventory monitoring system, wherein the medical inventory monitoring system includes at least one computer and at least one data store, and wherein the medical inventory monitoring system includes at least one medical item dispenser device;

(b) storing data representative of the storing in step (a) in the at least one data store;

(c) storing data representative of a plurality of authorized users of the medical inventory monitoring system in the at least one data store;

(d) receiving user identifying data via at least one data entry device of the medical inventory monitoring system;

(e) determining via at least one computer and the data store that the received user identifying data corresponds to an authorized user;

(f) receiving patient identifying data via the at least one data entry device, wherein the patient identifying data corresponds to a patient;

(g) receiving medical item data corresponding to the particular medical item type via the at least one data entry device;

(h) subsequent to steps (e), (f), and (g), operating a medical item dispenser device of the medical inventory monitoring system to dispense at least one unit of the particular medical item type enabling the authorized user access thereto;

(i) modifying the at least one data store via the at least one computer to include data representative that at least one unit of the particular medical item type has been dispensed for the patient;

(j) comparing supply level of the particular medical item type stored in the medical inventory monitoring system to a predetermined supply level via the at least one computer to determine whether replenishment of the particular medical item type is needed;

(k) responsive to a determination in step (j) that replenishment of the particular medical item type is needed, automatically operating the at least one computer to send via a modem a replenishment request order corresponding to the particular medical item type.