Automated medication handling system
First Claim
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1. A system for managing medications in a care facility, comprising:
- a plurality of medication containers, each of the plurality of medication containers including at least one machine-readable identifier and configured to contain a dose of a medication and configured to allow replacement of the dose of the medication with a dose of another medication; and
a dispenser comprising;
a plurality of storage locations, each storage location configured to store one of the plurality of medication containers, and to allow retrieval of one of the plurality of medication containers without having to remove any of the remaining plurality of medication containers from their corresponding storage locations;
a detector configured to read the at least one machine-readable identifier of each of the plurality of medication containers while each of the plurality of the medication containers is located in its corresponding storage location; and
a selection device configured to retrieve each of the plurality of medication containers when the corresponding medication container falls from its corresponding storage location.
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Abstract
Described herein are embodiments of systems and methods for providing an automated medication handling system that can, among other things, single-dose package medications, store and dispense medications in a pharmacy, transport medications to a nursing unit or other remote location, store them at that remote location, and load them into a portable unit carried by a nurse, who may dispense the medication at a bedside.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system for managing medications in a care facility, comprising:
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a plurality of medication containers, each of the plurality of medication containers including at least one machine-readable identifier and configured to contain a dose of a medication and configured to allow replacement of the dose of the medication with a dose of another medication; and a dispenser comprising; a plurality of storage locations, each storage location configured to store one of the plurality of medication containers, and to allow retrieval of one of the plurality of medication containers without having to remove any of the remaining plurality of medication containers from their corresponding storage locations; a detector configured to read the at least one machine-readable identifier of each of the plurality of medication containers while each of the plurality of the medication containers is located in its corresponding storage location; and a selection device configured to retrieve each of the plurality of medication containers when the corresponding medication container falls from its corresponding storage location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for managing medications in a care facility, comprising:
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providing a plurality of medication containers, each of the plurality of medication containers including at least one machine-readable identifier, and configured to contain a dose of a medication, and configured to allow replacement of the dose of the medication with a dose of another medication; storing, in one of a plurality of storage locations within a dispenser, one of the plurality of medication containers; reading the at least one machine-readable identifier of one of the plurality of medication containers while the one of the plurality of medication containers is located in its corresponding storage location; and retrieving one of the plurality of medication containers when the corresponding medication container falls from its corresponding storage location without having to remove any of the remaining plurality of medication containers from their corresponding storage locations. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification