Medicament distribution system and automatic dispenser for such system

• US 6,352,200 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Instymeds Corporation
• Original Assignee: Consumer Health Entrepreneurs B.V., Medimaat B.V.
• Inventors: Schoonen, Adelbert Jozef, Schaap, Cornelis Wilhelmus
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US09/689,623
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/385, 235/383, 221/2, 221/7, 221/9, 705/1-4
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A pharmacy system for prescribing and delivering medicaments to a patient includes at least one input unit with which a doctor is capable of entering inter alia a prescription of a medicament for a patient, together with the patient'"'"'s identity, into the system. The input unit then generates a prescription signal corresponding to the prescription entered. A pharmacy computer coupled to the input unit further processes the prescription signal received from the input unit and generates a control signal corresponding to the prescription. Under the supervision of the control signal generated by the pharmacy computer, an automatic dispenser dispenses the prescribed medicament to the patient.

Claims

1. A medicament prescribing and delivering system for prescribing and then delivering medicaments to a patient, said system comprising at least one input with which a doctor selects and enters a prescription for a medicament for a patient and at least one automatic dispenser which is capable of being loaded with medicaments, wherein the prescription for a medicament for a patient is selected using the input unit and entered into the input unit together with identity of the patient, wherein the input unit comprises a data bank in which data about indications and corresponding prescriptions for medicaments are stored as well as data of a patient, the input unit checking according to a predetermined algorithm whether a prescription prescribed for a patient corresponds to the data stored in the data bank and the input unit generating a prescription signal corresponding to the prescription entered, wherein the system further comprises a pharmacy computer that is remote from and coupled to the input unit, said pharmacy computer further processing the prescription signal received from the input unit and generating a control signal corresponding to the prescription, the at least one automatic dispenser then dispensing the prescribed medicament under the control of the control signal generated by the pharmacy computer, whereby the doctor is able to prescribe a medicament for a patient at one location and the patient is able to automatically receive the medicament at another, remote location.

2. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1, wherein the input unit provides a signal intended for the doctor when a deviation in the prescription is found during the check carried out by the input unit.

3. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1, wherein a prescription signal comprising a prescription with a deviation also comprises information about the found deviation in the relevant prescription.

4. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 3, wherein the pharmacy computer provides a signal intended for the pharmacist when a prescription signal with a deviation found by the input unit is received.

5. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises means for determining the identity of a patient, the system comparing the determined identity with the identity of a patient associated with a prescription that has been entered.

7. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the automatic dispenser comprises means for determining the identity of a patient.

8. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said comparison is carried out by the pharmacy computer, the pharmacy computer providing said control signal when said identities correspond to each other.

9. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said comparison is carried out by the automatic dispenser and said automatic dispenser dispenses the prescribed medicament if said identities correspond.

10. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the automatic dispenser comprises a card reader for reading a patient card containing information as to the identity of a patient and determining the identity of the patient from the patient card.

11. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the automatic dispenser comprises a control unit, a magazine which includes medicaments provided with an identification code, a selection unit with which medicaments are selected from the magazine, and a code-reading unit which reads the identification code of a medicament, wherein the control unit controls the selection unit on the basis of the received prescription signal such that the medicament associated with the prescription signal is selected from the magazine and wherein the code-reading unit reads the code of the selected medicament and transmits the code to the control unit, whereupon the control unit determines on the basis of the code whether a medicament corresponding to the prescription signal has been selected.

12. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 11, wherein the selection unit conveys the selected medicament from the magazine.

13. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 11, wherein the selection unit releases the selected medicament to a patient when the control unit determines based on the identification code that has been read that a medicament corresponding to the prescription signal has been selected.

14. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 11, wherein the automatic dispenser further comprises a printer which prints the patients name, the medicament, and the dosage of the medicament on a label for the medicament to be released.

15. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the pharmacy computer comprises a pharmacy data bank in which is stored various data about indications and corresponding prescriptions for medicaments and data of a patient, and wherein the pharmacy computer checks according to a predetermined algorithm whether a prescription received by means of the prescription signal corresponds to the data stored in the pharmacy data bank.

16. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 15, wherein the pharmacy computer provides a signal intended for a pharmacist when a deviation in the prescription is found during the check carried out by the pharmacy computer.

17. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the automatic dispenser and the pharmacy computer are remote from each other.

18. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the system comprises a first and a second input unit configured such that a prescription composed by the first input unit is supplied to the second input unit, and the prescription is approved by the second input unit for providing a prescription signal.

34. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1, 6 or 20, wherein the data bank of the input unit stores data about indications and corresponding prescriptions for medicaments.

35. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 34, wherein the input unit is configured to permit entry of an indication by a doctor and to generate a list of medicaments for the indication entered by the doctor using the data about indications stored in the data bank.

36. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 1, 6 or 20, wherein the input unit is configured to generate a menu showing medicaments known to be present in the dispenser, and wherein the prescription for a medicament for a patient is selected from the menu and entered into the input unit together with identity of the patient.

6. A medicament prescribing and delivering system for prescribing and delivering medicaments to a patient, said system comprising at least one input unit with which a doctor selects and enters a prescription for a medicament for a patient and at least one automatic dispenser which is capable of being loaded with medicaments, wherein the prescription for a medicament for a patient is entered into the input unit together with identity of the patient and wherein the input unit generates a prescription signal corresponding to the prescription entered, the system further comprising a pharmacy computer that is remote from and coupled to the input unit, the pharmacy computer further processing the prescription signal received from the input unit and generating a control signal corresponding to the prescription, the system further comprising means for determining the identity of a patient, the system comparing the determined identity with the identity of a patient associated with a prescription that has been entered and the at least one automatic dispenser then dispensing the prescribed medicament under the control of the control signal generated by the pharmacy computer, whereby the doctor can prescribe a medicament for a patient at one location and the patient can automatically receive the medicament at another, remote location.

19. An automatic dispenser for dispensing medicaments, which receives a signal indicating a prescription for a medicament for a patient, said signal including identity of the patient, wherein the automatic dispenser comprises means for determining the identity of a patient, means for comparing the determined identity with the identity of a patient associated with a prescription indicated by the received signal, and means for dispensing the medicament indicated by the received signal if the determined identity corresponds with the identity indicated by the received signal.

20. A medicament prescribing and delivering system for prescribing and delivering medicaments to a patient, said system comprising at least one input unit by means of which a person selects and enters a prescription for a medicament for a patient and at least one automatic medicament dispenser remote from and coupled to the input unit;

wherein the prescription for a medicament for a patient is entered into the input unit together with the patient'"'"'s identity;

wherein the input unit comprises a data bank in which data about indications and corresponding prescriptions of medicaments are stored as well as data of a patient;

wherein the input unit checks according to a predetermined algorithm whether a prescription prescribed for a patient corresponds to the data stored in the data bank; and

wherein the input unit generates a prescription signal corresponding to the prescription entered such that the at least one automatic dispenser, to which automatic dispenser the prescription signal is supplied, dispenses a prescribed medicament corresponding to the prescription signal and the patient is able to receive the prescribed medicament at a location remote from where the medicament prescription was entered.

21. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 20, wherein the input unit provides a signal intended for the doctor entering the prescription when a deviation in the prescription is found during the check carried out by the input unit.

22. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 20, wherein the system further comprises means for determining the identity of a patient and the system compares the determined identity with the identity of a patient associated with a prescription that has been entered, said system dispensing said medicament when said identities correspond with each other.

24. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the automatic dispenser comprises means for determining the identity of a patient.

25. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 22, 23 or 24, wherein said comparison is carried out by the input unit and the input unit provides said prescription signal if said identities correspond.

26. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 22 or 23, wherein said comparison is carried out by the automatic dispenser and the automatic dispenser dispenses the prescribed medicament if said identities correspond.

27. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the automatic dispenser comprises a card reader for reading a patient card containing information as to the identity of a patient and determining the identity of the patient from the patient card.

28. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 20 or 23, wherein the automatic dispenser comprises a control unit;

a magazine which includes medicaments provided with an identification code;

a selection unit with which medicaments are selected from the magazine; and

a code-reading unit which reads the identification code of a medicament;

wherein the control unit controls the selecting unit based on the received prescription signal such that the medicament associated with the prescription signal is selected from the magazine; and

wherein the code-reading unit reads the code of the selected medicament and transmits it to the control unit, whereupon the control unit determines based on the code whether a medicament corresponding to the prescription signal has been selected.

29. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 28, wherein the selection unit conveys the selected medicament from the magazine.

30. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 28, wherein the selection unit releases the selected medicament to a patient when the control unit determines based on the identification code that has been read that a medicament corresponding to the prescription signal has been selected.

31. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 30, wherein the automatic dispenser further comprises a printer which prints the patient'"'"'s name, the medicament, and the dosage of the medicament on a label for the medicament to be released.

32. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 20 or 23, wherein the automatic dispenser is disposed in a pharmacy and the input unit is disposed in a doctor'"'"'s office.

33. A medicament prescribing and delivering system according to claim 20 or 23, wherein the system comprises a first and a second input unit configured such that a prescription composed by means of the first input unit is supplied to the second input unit and the prescription can be approved by means of the second input unit for providing a prescription signal.

23. A medicament prescribing and delivering system for prescribing and delivering medicaments to a patient, said system comprising at least one input unit with which a person selects and enters a prescription for a medicament for a patient and at least one automatic medicament dispenser remote from and coupled to the input unit, wherein the prescription for a medicament for a patient is entered into the input unit together with the patient'"'"'s identity;

wherein the input unit generates a prescription signal corresponding to the prescription entered;

wherein the at least one automatic dispenser, to which automatic dispenser the prescription signal is supplied, dispenses a prescribed medicament corresponding to the prescription signal such that the patient is able to receive the prescribed medicament at a location remote from where the medicament prescription was entered; and

wherein the system further comprises means for determining the identity of a patient, the system comparing the determined identity with the identity of a patient associated with a prescription that has been entered and then dispensing said prescribed medicament when said identities correspond to each other. that has been entered and then dispensing said prescribed medicament when said identities correspond to each other.