System for tracking and dispensing medical items
First Claim
1. A method comprising the steps of:
- assigning a location designator to each of a plurality of storage locations wherein medical items are stored, each storage location holding a particular type of medical item;
applying to each storage location a machine readable indicia uniquely corresponding to the particular location;
storing in a data store in operative connection with a computer, data representative of the storage locations and the medical item type stored in each of the storage locations;
reading the machine readable indicia at one of said storage locations with a reading device in operative connection with the computer, in response to a quantity condition for medical items in the one storage location;
modifying the data in the data store with the computer to include data representative of the quantity condition for the medical items at the one storagelocation responsive to reading the machine readable indicia at the one storage location with the reading device.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The system for monitoring and dispensing medical items which are dispensed for administration to patients includes a data terminal (76, 338) which is connected through a network (82, 328) to at least one remote computer (84, 324) having a processor and a data store. The system also includes a reading device (348) which is connected to the network. A user of the data terminal or the reading device is enabled to select a patient for whom medical items will be used, and responsive to a request to dispense items the requested items are dispensed from dispensing devices (96, 100, 344, 346) connected to the data terminal. A report generating device (384) generates reports (388) which include machine readable indicia corresponding to patients and/or medical items. Users may select patients and dispense medications by reading the indicia from the reports using the reading device. Certain storage locations are also labeled with machine readable indicia which may be read to indicate the taking of items therefrom as well as to indicate inventory status information.
575 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method comprising the steps of:
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assigning a location designator to each of a plurality of storage locations wherein medical items are stored, each storage location holding a particular type of medical item; applying to each storage location a machine readable indicia uniquely corresponding to the particular location; storing in a data store in operative connection with a computer, data representative of the storage locations and the medical item type stored in each of the storage locations; reading the machine readable indicia at one of said storage locations with a reading device in operative connection with the computer, in response to a quantity condition for medical items in the one storage location; modifying the data in the data store with the computer to include data representative of the quantity condition for the medical items at the one storage location responsive to reading the machine readable indicia at the one storage location with the reading device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method comprising the steps of:
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storing in a data store in operative connection with a computer, data representative of a plurality of patients for whom medical items may be used; generating a report with a report generating device in operative connection with the computer, wherein the report includes machine readable indicia corresponding to at least one of said patients; reading the machine readable indicia on the report corresponding to a patient with a reading device; inputting data representative of a medical item to said computer, wherein said computer is operative responsive to the data inputting step to include in the data store data representative of the taking of the medical item for use by the patient. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method comprising the steps of:
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storing in a data store in operative connection with a computer, data representative of; a plurality of authorized users of a system; a dispense or restock function associated with each of the authorized users; a plurality of storage locations wherein at least one medical item may be stored; a plurality of medical item types and the particular medical item type stored in each of the storage locations; associating each user of the system with an identification article including machine readable indicia uniquely associated with the user; applying at each storage location machine readable indicia uniquely associated with a particular storage location; reading with a reading device in operative connection with the computer the indicia from an identification article of a system user; further reading with the reading device the indicia associated with a storage location; modifying the data in the data store with the computer responsive to the reading and further reading steps, wherein the data in the data store is modified to include data representative of a reduction in quantity of medical items stored in the storage location when the system user is associated in the data store with the dispense function, and wherein the data in the data store is modified to include data representative of an increase in quantity of medical items stored in the storage location when the system user is associated in the data store with a restock function. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method comprising the steps of:
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reading with a reading device machine readable indicia including indicia corresponding to a medical item; generating with a computer in operative connection with the reading device a transaction message including data representative of the medical item; transmitting the transaction message to a further computer in operative connection with a data store responsive to an input to an input device, said input device being operative to produce the input responsive to manipulation of the reading device. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification