System and method for pharmaceutical management and tracking

• US 20070150382A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group LLC (Cencora, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ASD Specialty Healthcare Incorporated (AmerisourceBergen Corporation)
• Inventors: Danilewitz, Dale
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2434 Tag housing and attachment details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A product inventory management system including a cabinet configured to contain an inventory of product units having RFID tags and further configured to monitor the inventory by wirelessly detecting the RFID tags, and a server system configured to communicate over a network with the cabinet, the server system capable of managing the inventory of the cabinet. There is also a method for product inventory management, including receiving, in a server system and via a network, inventory data from a cabinet, the inventory data corresponding to an inventory of product units stored in the cabinet, and generating an order to have additional product units added to the cabinet according to the cabinet inventory.

Claims

1. A product inventory management system, comprising:

a cabinet configured to contain an inventory of product units having RFID tags, the cabinet further configured to monitor the inventory by wirelessly detecting the RFID tags;

a server system configured to communicate over a network with the cabinet, the server system capable of managing the inventory of the cabinet.

2. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the cabinet notifies the server system that product units have been added or removed from the cabinet inventory.

3. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the cabinet performs a periodic wireless scan to determine the current product units in the inventory.

4. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the cabinet determines that a product unit has been removed from the inventory when the RFID tag corresponding to the product unit is not detected for a predetermined amount of time.

5. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the server system is capable of creating an order to have additional product units added to the cabinet according to the cabinet inventory.

6. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the product units in the cabinet inventory are consignment product units, and the server system creates an invoice when the product units are removed from the inventory.

7. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the server system is further capable of receiving cabinet status data from the cabinet.

8. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the server system is further capable of sending cabinet control instructions to the cabinet.

9. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the server system is further capable of analyzing product consumption data according to inventory data received from the cabinet.

10. The product inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the product units are pharmaceuticals.

11. A method for product inventory management, comprising:

receiving, in a server system and via a network, inventory data from a cabinet, the inventory data corresponding to an inventory of product units stored in the cabinet;

generating an order to have additional product units added to the cabinet according to the cabinet inventory.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising creating an invoice when the inventory data indicates that product units are removed from the inventory.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a notification, from the cabinet, that product units have been added or removed from the cabinet inventory.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising performing a periodic wireless scan to determine the current product units in the inventory by identifying RFID tags associated with the product units.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining that a product unit has been removed from the inventory when an RFID tag corresponding to the product unit is not detected by the cabinet for a predetermined amount of time.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving cabinet status data from the cabinet.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending cabinet control instructions to the cabinet.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing product consumption data according to inventory data received from the cabinet.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising tracking delivery of product units to the cabinet.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising wirelessly scanning product units prior to shipping the product units for storage in the cabinet.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the product units are pharmaceuticals.