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

DC CAFC
  • US 8,489,425 B2
  • Filed: 04/24/2012
  • Issued: 07/16/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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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 one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts 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 including non-transitory, tangible memory medium to store long-term care facility management computer programs including a patient prescription receiver to receive a digital image of a patient medication prescription order, a medication dispensing apparatus administrator to selectively remote control one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart functions, and a drug conflict analyzer to determine whether drug conflict exists;

    installing one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities to transmit digital images of patient medication prescription orders to the long-term care facility pharmacy management server via the communications network, each of the one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors being adapted to be in communication with one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts;

    verifying, in near-real time at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, the digital images of patient medication prescription orders transmitted to the long-term care facility pharmacy management server via the communications network to thereby reduce drug conflicts;

    initiating, by the long-term care facility pharmacy management server via the communications network, near-real-time patient medication dispensing at the one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts responsive to the near-real time verification of the digital images of patient medication prescription orders at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy;

    packaging, by the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities, one or more medications into one or more disposable individual patient dosing packages, responsive to initiating patient medication dispensing by the long-term care facility pharmacy management server via the communications network;

    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; and

    enhancing reduction of medication order errors by verifying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, via the patient prescription receiver, the digital image of a 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.

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