System and software of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities and related methods

• US 8,260,632 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech Pharmacy Services, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tech Pharmacy Services Incorporated (Partners Pharmacy LLC)
• Inventors: Moncrief, James W., Martin, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lubin, Valerie
• Application Number:
  US11/818,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 700/229, 700/231, 700/232, 705/2
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/30 Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system, software and related methods of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long term care facilities are provided. An embodiment of a system includes a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server, long-term care facility pharmacy management software associated with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to manage pharmacological operations in a plurality of long-term care facilities, a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts each positioned in a long-term care facility remote from the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server and in communication therewith, a remote pharmacy group server in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server, and a plurality of pharmaceutical prescription document processors each positioned in a long-term care facility and in communication with the remote pharmacy group server or the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server.

Claims

1. A method of restructuring long-term care facility staff procedures for communication between one or more long-term care facility staff members, each located at one of a plurality of long-term care facilities, and a long-term care facility remote pharmacy positioned remote from the plurality of long-term care facilities, the method comprising the steps of:

installing at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities operable by the one or more long-term care facility staff members, each of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts being positioned remote from, and adapted to be in communication with, a long-term care facility pharmacy management server via a communications network, the long-term care facility pharmacy management server having memory storing long-term care facility management software including at least a patient prescription receiver to receive a digital image of a patient medication prescription order and a medication dispensing apparatus administrator to selectively remotely control one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart functions;

verifying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, via the patient prescription receiver, the digital image of the patient medication prescription order from a pharmaceutical prescription document processor adapted to be in communication with one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts to thereby reduce miscommunication between one or more long-term care facility staff members and the long-term care remote pharmacy and enhance reduction of medication order errors; and

providing remote training to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from the long-term care facility remote pharmacy by selectively remotely controlling one or more functions, available to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from a terminal of one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, by the medication dispensing apparatus administrator via the communications network responsive to input received from one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel.

2. A method as defined in claim 1,

wherein the long-term care facility management software further includes a drug conflict analyzer to determine whether drug conflicts exist;

and

wherein the method further includes the step of enhancing reduction of drug conflicts by comparing, via the drug conflict analyzer, the digital image of the patient medication prescription order with one or more of a patient medication profile, a patient diagnosis profile, a patient insurance profile, and a drug interaction profile.

3. A method as defined in claim 2,

wherein the long-term care facility management software further includes a dispensing initiator to transmit dispensing instructions to the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities;

and

wherein the method further includes the steps of;

verifying, via the drug conflict analyzer, whether any drug conflicts exist, and

initiating, responsive to no drug conflicts existing, by the dispensing initiator via the communications network, patient medication dispensing .at the least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart located at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the method further includes the step of packaging, by the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities, a plurality of medications into a plurality of disposable individual patient dosing packages by medication pass time blocks, and by patient location within each of the plurality of long-term care facilities, responsive to initiating patient medication dispensing by the dispensing initiator via the communications network.

5. A method as defined in claim 1,

wherein the long-term care facility management software further includes a medication dispensing apparatus imager to display a video image of at least one visually accessible functional component of one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts;

wherein the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart is further adapted to be in communication with a video input device; and

wherein the method further includes the step of displaying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, the video image of at least one visually accessible functional component of one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts via the medication dispensing apparatus imager over the communications network responsive to video signals received from the video input device.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the method further includes the step of providing remote troubleshooting of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart by the one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel responsive to the video image of the at least one visually accessible functional component of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart.

7. A method as defined in claim 6,

wherein the communications network includes a virtual private network;

wherein the digital image of the patient medication prescription order comprises an exact image of a physician prescription order; and

wherein the method further includes the step of displaying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, a video image of at least one of the one or more long-term care facility staff members via the medication dispensing apparatus imager over the communications network responsive to video signals received from the video input device.

8. A method of restructuring long-term care facility staff procedures for communication between one or more long-term care facility staff members, each located at one of a plurality of long-term care facilities, and a long-term care facility remote pharmacy positioned remote from the plurality of long-term care facilities, the method comprising the steps of:

installing at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities operable by the one or more long-term care facility staff members, each of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts being positioned remote from, and adapted to be in communication with, a long-term care facility pharmacy management server via a communications network;

restructuring medication procurement and resident medication distribution procedures within the plurality of long-term care facilities by programming a preselected number of medication pass time blocks into the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities, each of the preselected number of medication pass time blocks having specific medication administration times and being a combination of a plurality of medication administration time intervals; and

packaging, by the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities, a plurality of medications into a plurality of disposable individual patient dosing packages by medication pass time blocks, and by patient location within each of the plurality of long-term care facilities, responsive to the step of programming the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the preselected number of medication pass time blocks comprises at least four medication pass time blocks.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the at least four medication pass time blocks include at, least a breakfast time block from 2400 to 0600 hours, an AM time block from 0600 to 1030 hours, a noon time block from 1030 to 1430 hours, and a HS time block from 1830 to 2400 hours.

11. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the method further includes the step of enhancing reduction of medication errors by transmitting a medication pass list for each of the medication pass time blocks to the long-term care facility remote pharmacy via the communications network, the medication pass time blocks being usable as a medication distribution guide for each of the preselected number of medication pass time blocks to thereby enhance communication between the one or more long-term care facility staff members and the long-term care facility remote pharmacy.

12. A method as defined in claim 11,

wherein the communications network includes a virtual private network;

and

wherein the method further includes the step of enhancing reduction of wasted medication by establishing an automated therapeutic exchange protocol that facilitates management of the medication procurement and resident medication distribution procedures by the one or more long-term care facility staff members and one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel via the communications network.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the therapeutic exchange protocol operably streamlines inventory of each of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities.

14. A method as defined in claim 8,

wherein the long-term care facility pharmacy management server includes memory storing long-term care facility management software including at least a patient prescription receiver to receive a digital image of a patient medication prescription order, a medication dispensing apparatus administrator to selectively remotely control one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart functions, and a drug conflict analyzer to determine whether drug conflicts exist;

and

wherein the method further includes the steps of;

verifying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, via the patient prescription receiver, the digital image of the patient medication prescription order from a pharmaceutical prescription document processor adapted to be in communication with one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts to thereby enhance reduction of medication order errors,

providing remote training to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from the long-term care facility remote pharmacy by selectively remotely controlling functions, available to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from a terminal of one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, by the medication dispensing apparatus administrator via the communications network responsive to input received from one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel, and

comparing, via the drug conflict analyzer, the digital image of the patient medication prescription order with one or more of a patient medication profile, a patient diagnosis profile, a patient insurance profile, and a drug interaction profile to thereby enhance reduction of drug conflicts.