Method of monitoring medical item inventory

• US 20060259377A1
• Filed: 07/17/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1994
• 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 7,596,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/64 in which the articles are individually suspended from stationary supports
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A medical item inventory system includes a plurality of different types of stored medical items. The system can track a quantity of a medicinal substance type removed from its storage location, including the quantity used and the quantity returned to storage. The system can monitor the medical item inventory in real time 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) removing a first quantity of a medical item having a first characteristic from a first storage location, wherein the medical item having the first characteristic is part of an inventory of quantities of various medical items having different characteristics, wherein medical items stored in the first storage location have a medical item characteristic different from medical items stored in a second storage location;

(b) receiving inputted data representative of removing the first quantity from the first storage location;

(c) responsive to (b), operating at least one processor in updating standing of medical item quantities associated with the inventory in carrying out real time monitoring of the inventory, including updating a location regarding the first quantity;

(d) returning to the first storage location a second quantity of the first quantity removed in step (a);

(e) receiving manually inputted data representative of returning the second quantity in step (d);

(f) responsive to (e), operating the at least one processor in updating the standing of medical item quantities associated with the inventory in carrying out the real time monitoring of the inventory, including updating a location regarding the second quantity;

(g) comparing through operation of the at least one processor the first quantity removed and the second quantity returned;

(h) responsive to step (g), determining a third quantity of the first quantity removed in step (a), wherein the first quantity equals the second quantity plus the third quantity, and wherein the second quantity differs from the third quantity; and

(i) responsive to the determining in step (h), operating the at least one processor in updating the standing of medical item quantities associated with the inventory in carrying out the real time monitoring of the inventory, including updating a patient usage regarding the third quantity.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein step (a) includes removing the first quantity from a first storage location in a medical facility.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein step (c) includes charging a patient for the first quantity removed.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein step (f) includes crediting a patient for the second quantity returned.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein step (i) includes billing a patient for the third quantity used.

6. The method according to claim 4 wherein step (a) includes removing plural medical items having different characteristics for use in a surgical procedure, further comprising:

subsequent to step (a) performing the surgical procedure, and wherein step (d) includes returning removed medical items that were not used in the surgical procedure.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the medical item comprises a particular medicinal substance, and wherein step (a) includes removing a first quantity of the medicinal substance, wherein step (d) includes returning the substance to storage, and wherein the returning of the substance to storage requires verification of user identification.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the terminal is operatively connected to at least one inventory data store, wherein step (b) includes providing data corresponding to the first quantity removed to the at least one inventory data store via input to the terminal.

8. A method comprising:

(a) removing a first quantity of a medicinal substance having a first medical characteristic from a first storage location, wherein the medicinal substance having the first medical characteristic is part of an inventory of various medicinal substances having different medical characteristics, wherein the medicinal substance stored in the first storage location has a medical characteristic different from other medicinal substances stored in other storage locations;

(b) receiving inputted data representative of removing the first quantity from the first storage location;

(c) responsive to (b), operating at least one processor in updating standing of medicinal substances associated with the inventory in carrying out real time monitoring of the inventory, including updating a standing of the first quantity;

(d) using a second quantity of the first quantity removed in step (a);

(e) receiving manually inputted data representative of using the second quantity in step (d);

(f) responsive to (e), operating the at least one processor in updating the standing of the medicinal substances associated with the inventory in carrying out the real time monitoring of the inventory, including updating a standing of the second quantity;

(g) comparing through operation of the at least one processor the first quantity removed and the second quantity used;

(h) responsive to a difference resulting from the comparing in step (g), determining a third quantity of the first quantity removed in step (a), wherein the first quantity equals the second quantity plus the third quantity, and wherein the second quantity differs from the third quantity; and

(i) responsive to a determining in step (h), operating the at least one processor in updating the standing of the medicinal substances associated with the inventory in carrying out the real time monitoring of the inventory, including updating a standing of the third quantity.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein step (a) includes manually removing the first quantity.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein step (b) includes manually inputting the data representative of removing the first quantity.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein step (b) includes manually inputting the data representative of removing the first quantity to a data terminal including a user interface.

13. The method according to claim 8 wherein step (d) includes using the second quantity to replenish storage of the medicinal substance.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein step (d) includes returning the second quantity to storage.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein step (e) includes receiving data representative of returning the second quantity.

16. The method according to claim 8 wherein the inventory includes various medicinal substances stored in a pharmacy, wherein step (a) includes removing the first quantity from a first storage location in the pharmacy.

17. The method according to claim 16 and further comprising returning to the pharmacy at least one of the second quantity and the third quantity.

18. A method comprising:

(a) storing various types of medications in a plurality of storage locations in a storage area;

(b) providing input via at least one computer to at least one data store, data correlating each storage location with the type of medical item stored therein;

(c) removing a first quantity of a first type of medical item from a first storage location in the storage area;

(d) receiving via the at least one computer, inputted first quantity data corresponding to removing the first quantity in step (c);

(e) storing the first quantity data received in step (d) in the at least one data store;

(f) using a second quantity of the first quantity removed in step (c);

(g) receiving via the at least one computer, inputted second quantity data corresponding to using the second quantity in step (f);

(h) storing the second quantity data received in step (g) in the at least one data store;

(i) comparing through operation of the at least one processor the first quantity data stored in step (e) and the second quantity data stored in step (h); and

(j) responsive to a difference resulting from the comparing in step (f), providing at least one output reflective of the difference.