METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING PATIENT ACCESS TO MEDICAMENTS

• US 20110133948A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MedicaSafe, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MedicaSafe, Inc.
• Inventors: Ervin, Matthew J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/687
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0409 with timers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for controlling and tracking patient access to medicaments. A patient is provided with medication in locked pill containers that must be unlocked with an access code before the patient can access a limited quantity of medication in each container. Thus the patient is forced to go through an interactive session periodically with a master system, via a communicative intermediary, in order to obtain a valid passcode for each batch of medications and follow a treatment regimen. The patient may be assessed during each interaction with the master system. That assessment can include various questions, including questions about status codes that may optionally be displayed on each medication container. These status codes may optionally encode detail about the patient'"'"'s pattern of accessing medication. The general rate of medication usage can also be deduced by the rate at which the patient contacts the master system. After patient assessment, the master system may elect to not provide the patient with an access code, typically if the patient meets certain criteria that indicate overuse of the medication. Conversely, the master system can elect to proactively contact the patient if the patient fails to make contact with the master system at an expected time, as this lack of contact suggests that the patient is underusing the medication and requires a reminder.

Claims

1. A medicament dispensing device comprising:

a dispensing unit having a locking unit, such that the dispensing unit can be locked or unlocked and capable of dispensing medicaments only when unlocked,

the dispensing unit also including an input evaluation unit capable of accepting input data from a user, and providing information which is used in unlocking the locking unit when the input data is determined to be valid,

whereby the device can be selectively unlocked and medicaments accessed only when the user provides valid input data, the medicaments being provided up to a certain limit of use associated with said input data.

2. The medicament dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the access authorization data includes one of a passcode, a password and a visual ticket.

3. The medicament dispensing device of claim 1, wherein communication to the user of the access authorization information and communication by the user of any information necessary to receive said access authorization data occurs via one of a telephone, web interface, and a personal communication device.

4. The medicament dispensing device of claim 1 wherein valid identifying data is communicated by a user before valid limited-use access authorization data is communicated to the user in return,

whereby it is possible to gather additional relevant information before granting access to said medicaments said additional relevant information including one of, user identity, user symptoms, device status, treatment status, medicament usage information.

5. A method for managing device data, the method comprising the following steps:

communicating identifying data through a communication channel to a master system;

analyzing the identifying data to determine whether to issue an access code;

generating an access code by a master system; and

communicating the access code via the communication channel.

6. The method for managing device data of claim 5, wherein the identifying data identifies the identity of a user.

7. The method for managing device data of claim 6, wherein the identifying data identifies at least one of a plurality of containers.

8. The method for managing device data of claim 7, further comprising inputting the access code into a combination lock;

and

opening the combination lock which allows access to a pill container.

9. The method for managing device data of claim 5, wherein the access code indicates that the device should no longer be accessible.

10. A method for managing device data, the method comprising the following steps:

generating a status code based on device data indicating a status of a device, where the status code represents drug dosage;

communicating the status code through a communication channel to a master system;

analyzing the status code to determine whether a patient is receiving proper medication dosage;

generating an access code by a master system; and

communicating the access code via the communication channel.

11. The method for managing device data of claim 10, wherein the access code indicates that the patient has underdosed.

12. The method for managing device data of claim 10, wherein the access code indicates that the device should no longer be accessible.

13. A device comprising

a cap;

a pill bottle adapted to be securely covered by the cap;

a display unit for displaying a status code; and

a processing unit configured to interface with the cap and the display unit, where the processing unit generates a status code based on device data indicating a status of the device,

wherein the processing unit determines when the cap is removed from the pill bottle.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to identify when the cap was removed from the pill bottle and modify a memory log to indicate that the cap was removed from the pill bottle.

15. The device of claim 13 further comprising:

a conductive circuit provided in the outer shell of the cap and connected to the processing unit; and

a spring adapted to contact the conductive circuit,

wherein the spring creates a gap in the conductive circuit when the cap is removed from the pill bottle.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the cap includes a pair of holes adapted to fit a pin engaging an external lock for locking the cap to the pill bottle.

17. A method of providing access to medicaments comprising:

using several medication containers, each container having the ability to provide access to medicaments up to a certain limit of use if valid access authorization data is used with the medication container, and

communicating identifying data to an interfacing system separate from the medication containers,

said interfacing system evaluating whether or not to grant access to the medicaments in each of the medication containers based on the identifying data received, and if a decision is made to grant access, then,

determining, using said interfacing system, valid access authorization data, wherein input of said valid access authorization data into a locking portion of one of the medication containers enables dispensing of the medicaments up to a limit of use;

communicating the access authorization data to the user,

inputting said access authorization data into the locking portion of one of the medication containers,

evaluating whether or not to grant access to the medicaments based on the access authorization data entered, either mechanically or electronically, such that said device will not provide access to medicaments unless valid access authorization data is entered by a user, and once valid access authorization is entered,

each of the containers enables access to medicaments up to a certain limit of use,

once the limit of use has been reached, the access authorization data for another container must be obtained by the user,

whereby the time at which the access authorization data is acquired by the user for each medication container is indicative of a time of access to medicaments, and can be used to compute the general rate of medication use.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of providing valid access authorization data in response to a user providing valid identifying data, and

gathering additional relevant information before granting access to said medicaments, said additional information including one of user identity, user symptoms, device status, treatment status, and medicament usage information.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein data derived from one of identifying data and the times when the user seeks access to the limited-use access authorization is used to generate reports for one or more interested persons.

20. A system for access to medicaments comprising:

an interfacing system configured to interface with a communications intermediary;

a plurality of medication containers each holding predetermined quantities of medicaments that together comprise a prescribed quantity of medication, the containers providing access to the medicaments in response to valid access authorization data, the access authorization data independently computable by an interfacing system,

whereby limited access to the medicaments is granted via communication of valid authorization data for a single container from the interfacing system to a user via the communications intermediary.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the interfacing system includes a web server and the communications intermediary includes a client computing device having web capabilities.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the interfacing system includes an interactive voice response (IVR) system and the communications intermediary includes a telephonic device having telephone capabilities.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the interfacing system compiles data about when the user is or is not seeking access to the medicaments and generates for interested persons an output including one of reports and alerts,

whereby it is possible to approximately monitor overuse and underuse of the medicaments.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the interfacing system includes one of a live person interface and a computer, and the communications intermediary includes one of a face-to-face conversation and a known communication technology,

whereby the interfacing system includes one of an automated system and a manually operated system.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein valid identifying data is communicated by a user to the interfacing system before valid access authorization data is communicated to the user from said interfacing system,

whereby additional relevant information is gathered before granting access to said medicaments, said additional information including at least one of user identity, user symptoms, device status, treatment status, and medicament usage information.

26. The system of claim 20 wherein the identifying data includes one of device identification information identifying the dispensing device, identification information identifying the prescribed treatment regimen, treatment information, information describing the patient, device information in the form of a status code from a container which indicates the pattern of medicament dispensing, patient symptoms, patient activity, device activity, and medicament usage information.

27. The system of claim 20 wherein data derived from at least one of identifying data and times when the user is provided with limited-use access authorization data is used to generate an output including one of a report and an alert.

28. A medicament dispensing device comprising:

a dispensing unit having a locking unit, such that the dispensing unit can be locked or unlocked and capable of dispensing medicaments only when unlocked,

the dispensing unit also including an input evaluation unit capable of accepting input data from a user, and providing information which is used in unlocking the locking unit when the input data is determined to be valid, whereby the device can be selectively unlocked and medicaments accessed only when the user provides valid input data, the medicaments being provided up to a certain limit of use associated with said input data,

the dispensing unit further comprising

a cap;

a pill bottle adapted to be securely covered by the cap;

a display unit for displaying a status code; and

a processing unit configured to interface with the cap and the display unit, where the processing unit generates a status code based on device data indicating a status of the device,

wherein the processing unit determines when the cap is removed from the pill bottle.