System for pharmacy tracking and customer id verification

• US 8,479,988 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GSL Solutions, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: GSL Solutions, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Louie, Shelton, Garrett, Stephen A., Intile, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US13/050,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20110166878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/385
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/44 in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• 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

Abstract

A method of distributing a filled prescription order from a worker of a pharmacy to a customer includes providing a computer-readable memory device having saved thereon a first identifier of the customer and a second identifier of the customer. The method also includes requesting the first identifier from the customer and requesting the second identifier from the customer. Also, the method includes inputting the first and second identifiers into an input device by at least one of the worker and the customer. Moreover, the method includes confirming an identity of the customer by confirming that the first and second identifiers input correspond satisfactorily with the first and second identifiers saved on the memory device. Still further, the method includes limiting transfer of the filled prescription order from the worker to the customer until confirming the identity of the customer.

Claims

1. A method of distributing a filled prescription order from a worker of a pharmacy to a customer comprising:

providing a computer-readable memory device having saved thereon a first identifier of the customer and a second identifier of the customer;

requesting the first identifier from the customer;

requesting the second identifier from the customer;

inputting the first identifier and the second identifier into an input device by at least one of the worker and the customer;

confirming an identity of the customer by confirming that the first and second identifiers input correspond satisfactorily with the first and second identifiers saved on the memory device; and

limiting transfer of the filled prescription order from the worker to the customer until confirming the identity of the customer.

2. The method of distributing a filled prescription order from a worker of a pharmacy to a customer of claim 1, wherein the pharmacy is a retail pharmacy.

3. The method of distributing a filled prescription order from a worker of a pharmacy to a customer of claim 1. wherein the customer is a patient in a healthcare facility and further including the steps of:

placing the filled proscription order in a storage area on a movable cart;

moving the movable cart containing the filled prescription order near the patient prior to transferring the filled prescription order to the patient.

4. The method of distributing a filled prescription order from a worker of a pharmacy to a customer of claim 1, wherein said inputting the first identifier includes reading a computer readable tag operably secured to the customer.

5. The method of distributing a filled prescription order from a worker of a pharmacy to a customer of claim 4, wherein said customer is a patient in a healthcare facility.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory device also has saved thereon a storage area where the filled prescription order is stored, and wherein limiting transfer of the filled prescription order includes revealing the storage area where the filled prescription order is stored to the worker only after confirming the identity of the customer.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising tracking a prescription order that results in the filled prescription order with a tracking system, the tracking system including a tag that is secured for movement with the prescription order, the tracking system also including a tag reader that tracks the location of the tag to thereby track the location of the prescription order.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the tag and tag reader communicate via radio waves.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the pharmacy has a plurality of physically spaced apart locations for manual filling and storing the prescription order, the plurality of spaced apart locations being positioned along a workflow stream leading to an array of compartments, the storage area defined by one of the array of compartments, the prescription order being moved between the plurality of spaced apart locations by one or more pharmacy workers by hand, and wherein tracking the prescription order includes:

receiving the prescription order at a first location upstream of the storage area;

operably securing the tag to the prescription order upstream of the storage area, the tag having a unique identifier that is machine-readable by a first location tag reader in proximity to the tag regardless of the orientation of the tag relative to the first tag reader;

associating the unique identifier of the tag with the first and second identifiers in a computer system, the computer system including the computer-readable memory device;

moving the prescription order by hand to a second location within the pharmacy for manual filling upstream of the storage area, the second location having a second location tag reader in communication with the computer system;

automatically detecting the presence of the prescription order at the second location by reading the unique identifier of the tag with the second location tag reader regardless of the orientation of the tag and automatically recording at the computer system the location of the prescription order at the second location for the manual filling; and

moving the filled prescription order by hand to the storage area defined by the one of the array of compartments, each compartment having a corresponding compartment tag reader that is in communication with the computer system and is operable to read the unique identifier of the tag on the filled prescription order regardless of the orientation of the tag,

wherein associating the unique identifier of the tag with the first and second identifiers and automatically detecting the presence of the prescription order are performed by or under control of the computer system.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein revealing the storage area includes emitting at least one of a light and a sound from a transducer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein emitting at least one of a light and a sound includes changing a color of the light by the transducer.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein revealing the storage area includes unlocking the storage area.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein revealing the storage area includes displaying the location on a display.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the pharmacy employs a lower-authority worker and a higher-authority worker, wherein requesting of the first and second identifiers is performed by at least one of the lower-authority worker and the higher-authority worker, and wherein transferring the filled prescription includes transferring of the filled prescription order by the higher-authority worker instead of the lower-authority worker.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising confirming that the filled prescription order has a special status, and wherein transferring of the filled prescription or by the higher-authority worker instead of the lower-authority worker occurs only when the filled prescription order has been confirmed as having the special status.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identifier and the second identifier are chosen from a group consisting of a name of the customer, an address, a date of birth, a phone number, a doctor'"'"'s name, a name of the filled prescription order, a military rank, a military serial number, a password, a pin, and a code that has been chosen by the customer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein inputting the first identifier and the second identifier includes manually inputting at least one of the first identifier and the second identifier using the input device.

28. The system of claim 14, wherein the first identifier and the second identifier are chosen from a group consisting of a name of the customer, an address, a date of birth, a phone number, a doctor'"'"'s name, a name of the filled prescription order, a military rank, a military serial number, a password, a pin, and a code that has been chosen by the customer.

18. A system for distributing a filled prescription order from a worker to a customer comprising:

a computer system with a computer-readable memory device having saved thereon a first identifier of the customer and a second identifier of the customer; and

an input device operable for inputting the first identifier and also operable for inputting the second identifier by at least one of the worker and the customer, the computer system operable for confirming an identity of the customer by confirming that the first and second identifiers input correspond satisfactorily with the first and second identifiers saved on the memory device, the computer system also operable for limiting distribution of the filled prescription order from the worker to the customer until the identity of the customer has been confirmed.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory device also has saved thereon a storage area where the filled prescription order is stored, and further comprising a transducer, wherein the computer system limits distribution by controlling the transducer to reveal the storage area where the filled prescription order is stored to the worker only after confirming the identity of the customer.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the transducer includes at least one of a light emitting transducer and a sound emitting transducer.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the light emitting transducer includes a display that is in communication with the computer system, the display operable for displaying the storage area of the filled prescription order.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising a tracking system that tracks a prescription order that results in the filled prescription order, the tracking system including a tag that is secured for movement with the prescription order, the tracking system also including a tag reader that tracks the location of the tag to thereby track the location of the prescription order.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the tag and tag reader communicate via radio waves.

24. The system of claim 22, further including the worker working in a pharmacy, wherein the pharmacy has a plurality of physically spaced apart locations for manual filling and storing the prescription order, the plurality of spaced apart locations being positioned along a workflow stream leading to an array of compartments, the storage area defined by one of the array of compartments, the prescription order being moved between the plurality of spaced apart locations by one or more pharmacy workers by hand, and wherein:

the prescription order is received at a first location upstream of the storage area;

the tag is operable to be secured to the prescription order upstream of the storage area, the tag having a unique identifier that is machine-readable by a first location tag reader in proximity to the tag regardless of the orientation of the tag relative to the first tag reader;

the computer system associates the unique identifier of the tag with the first and second identifiers;

the prescription order is moved by hand to a second location within the pharmacy for manual filling upstream of the storage area, the second location having a second location tag reader in communication with the computer system;

the tracking system is operable to automatically detect the presence of the prescription order at the second location by reading the unique identifier of the tag with the second location tag reader regardless of the orientation of the tag and to automatically record at the computer system the location of the prescription order at the second location for the manual filling; and

the filled prescription order is moved by hand to the storage area defined by the one of the array of compartments, each compartment having a corresponding compartment tag reader that is in communication with the computer system and is operable to read the unique identifier of the tag on the filled prescription order regardless of the orientation of the tag.

25. The system of claim 19, further including a pharmacy, wherein the pharmacy employs a lower-authority worker and a higher-authority worker, and wherein the transducer is operable to indicate that the filled prescription order to be transferred to the customer by the higher-authority worker instead of the lower-authority worker.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the computer system is operable to confirm that the filled prescription order has a special status, and wherein the transducer indicates that the filled prescription order is to be transferred to the customer by the higher-authority worker instead of the lower-authority worker only when the filled prescription order has been confirmed as having the special status.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the transducer is operable to unlock the storage area.

29. A method of tracking and distributing a prescription order that results in a filled prescription order in a pharmacy, the pharmacy having a plurality of physically spaced apart locations for manual filling and storing the prescription order, the plurality of spaced apart locations being positioned along a workflow stream leading to an array of compartments, a storage area for the filled prescription order defined by one of the array of compartments, the prescription order being moved between the plurality of spaced apart locations by one or more pharmacy workers by hand, and wherein the method comprises:

receiving the prescription order from the customer at a first location upstream of the storage area;

operably securing an RFID tag to the prescription order upstream of the storage area, the RFID tag having a unique identifier that is machine-readable by a first location tag reader in proximity to the RFID tag regardless of the orientation of the RFID tag relative to the first location tag reader;

associating the unique identifier of the RFID tag with a first and second identifier of the customer stored in computer-readable memory device of a computer system;

moving the prescription order by hand to a second location within the pharmacy for manual filling upstream of the storage area, the second location having a second location tag reader in communication with the computer system;

automatically detecting the presence of the prescription order at the second location by reading the unique identifier of the RFID tag with the second location tag reader regardless of the orientation of the RFID tag and automatically recording at the computer system the location of the prescription order at the second location for the manual filling;

moving the filled prescription order by hand to the storage area defined by the one of the array of compartments, each compartment having a corresponding compartment tag reader that is in communication with the computer system and is operable to read the unique identifier of the RFID tag on the filled prescription order regardless of the orientation of the RFID tag, wherein associating the unique identifier of the RFID tag with the first and second identifiers and automatically detecting the presence of the prescription order are performed by or under control of the computer system;

requesting input of the first identifier of the customer by the one or more pharmacy workers;

requesting input of the second identifier of the customer by the one or more pharmacy workers;

confirming an identity of the customer by confirming that the first and second identifiers input match the first and second identifiers saved on the memory device; and

revealing the storage area to the one or more pharmacy workers only after confirming the identity of the customer, thereby allowing the one or more pharmacy workers to obtain the filled prescription order and transfer the filled prescription order to the customer.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein revealing the storage area includes emitting at least one of a light and a sound from a transducer.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein emitting at least one of a light and a sound includes changing a color of the light by the transducer.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein revealing the storage area includes unlocking the storage area.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein revealing the storage area includes displaying the location on a display.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the pharmacy employs a lower-authority worker and a higher-authority worker, wherein requesting of the first and second identifiers is performed by at least one of the lower-authority worker and the higher-authority worker, and wherein transferring the filled prescription includes transferring of the filled prescription order by the higher-authority worker instead of the lower-authority worker.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising confirming that the filled prescription order has a special status, and wherein transferring of the filled prescription or by the higher-authority worker instead of the lower-authority worker occurs only when the filled prescription order has been confirmed as having the special status.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the first identifier and the second identifier are chosen from a group consisting of a name of the customer, an address, a date of birth, a phone number, a doctor'"'"'s name, a name of the filled prescription order, a military rank, a military serial number, a password, a pin, and a code that has been chosen by the customer.