System and method for pharmacy administration

• US 8,229,885 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B Braun Medical Incorporated (B. Braun Holding GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: B Braun Medical Incorporated (B. Braun Holding GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Steen, Eric K., Brandon, William John, Wilverding, Thomas J., Koch, Michael A., Pfeiffer, Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US12/484,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20090254377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 707/602, 707/609, 707/661, 707/705, 700/231, 700/232, 700/233, 700/234, 700/235, 700/236, 700/239, 700/214, 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A pharmaceutical administrative system with a pharmacy and a service center network for preparing and dispensing medication. The pharmacy network prepares orders for medication from various customers for various patients. By retrieving information from a global database in the service center network, the pharmacy network conveys patient, customer and formulary information to users of the pharmacy network. Also, the pharmacy network prepares medication specific labels to identify and verify the contents of the medication. Furthermore, the pharmacy network provides additional safeguards and information, including balancing orders and displaying and/or generating hardcopies of solubility curves, to a health care provider using the pharmacy network with the additional ability to customize the medication.

Claims

1. A pharmacy client system receiving and processing orders for medication, the pharmacy client system comprising:

an order maintenance unit configured to create an order for medication for at least one customer and at least one patient;

a formulary unit coupled to the order maintenance and presenting information about the medication to the order maintenance unit;

a customer unit coupled to the order maintenance unit and presenting information relating to contact and purchasing information for the at least one customer ordering the medication; and

a patient unit coupled to the order maintenance unit and the customer unit and presenting information relating to contact and medical information for the at least one patient;

wherein the order maintenance unit is configured to modify the ingredients of the medication and to validate the modifications to the ingredients of the medication.

2. The pharmacy client system of claim 1 wherein the medication is an intravenous solution.

3. The pharmacy client system of claim 2 wherein the order maintenance unit is configured to validate the modifications to the ingredients by generating a calcium phosphate solubility curve for the medication.

4. The pharmacy client system of claim 3 wherein the order maintenance unit is further configured to determine calcium and phosphate content in the medication and to compare the calcium and phosphate content to the calcium phosphate solubility curve for the medication.

5. The pharmacy client system of claim 4 wherein the order maintenance unit is further configured to provide a warning when the calcium and phosphate content does not match the calcium phosphate solubility curve for the medication.

6. The pharmacy client system of claim 5 wherein the order maintenance unit is configured to generate medication specific labels for the medication.

7. The pharmacy client system of claim 6 wherein the medication specific labels for the medication includes information about a refractive index of the intravenous solution.

8. The pharmacy client system of claim 7 wherein the medication specific labels for the medication includes information about a level of potassium in the intravenous solution calculated using flame photometry.

9. The pharmacy client system of claim 8 wherein the modifications to the ingredients of the medication includes modifications to caloric content of the medication.

10. The pharmacy client system of claim 9 wherein the order maintenance unit is configured to validate the modifications to the caloric content in the medication by comparing the modifications to predetermined amounts of caloric content in predefined medications.

11. The pharmacy client system of claim 8 wherein the modifications to the ingredients of the medication includes modifications to electrolytes in the medication.

12. The pharmacy client system of claim 11 wherein the order maintenance unit is configured to validate the modifications to the electrolytes in the medication by comparing the modifications to predetermined amounts of electrolytes in predefined medications.