Pharmacy workspace with clinic station

• US 8,707,630 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jhaveri, Nimesh S., Dhruve, Archana, Hill, Heather K., Kozic, Dejan, Tebbe, Laura Jean, Heald, Susan G., Jones, Mark A., Levin, Jennifer M., Tulyathorn, Warit, Frisk, Sara B., Comiskey, Jennifer A., Blanchard, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Katcheves, Basil
• Assistant Examiner(s): MINTZ, RODNEY K
• Application Number:
  US13/286,857
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 52/361, 52/364, 52/791, 52/797, 52/798, 522/34, 522/381, 52/33, 52/796, 521/731, 521/74, 522/361, 186/35, 186/36, 705/2
• US Class Current: 52/36.1
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/02 Hotels; Motels; Coffee-houses; Restaurants; Shops; Department stores

Abstract

A retail pharmacy workspace that has a clinic station where common acute health issues such as the flu and ear infections can be addressed by a medical assistant; boundary walls that at least partially surround the clinic station and include a doorway and a screening wall that has front and back ends and no doorway between those ends; at least one examination room within the boundary walls; a waiting room within the boundary walls, between the examination room and the doorway; a prescription station where prescriptions are filled; a pharmacy waiting area outside the boundary walls of the clinic station; and parallel rows of seating in the pharmacy waiting area that define front and back limits of a seating area that are arranged on lines that intersect the screening wall.

Claims

1. A retail pharmacy workspace that comprises:

a pharmacy area that includes a prescription preparation area and a prescription station where prescriptions are delivered to customers;

a pharmacy waiting area in direct line-of-sight of the prescription station;

a clinic station where common acute health issues can be addressed;

a clinic waiting room that is disposed within the clinic station between an entrance to the clinic station and an examination room within the clinic station;

a central reception desk that is separated from the clinic station by only an open circulation area;

boundary walls that at least partially surround the clinic station and comprise;

a waiting room wall that extends from one side of the entrance to the clinic station and at least partially defines separate clinic seating within a clinic seating area,

a screening wall that separates and isolates the clinic station from the pharmacy waiting area, and

a window that is located in the waiting room wall, extends from an upper part of the entrance to the clinic station, is at least partially covered by a non-opaque divider, and faces the open circulation area;

parallel rows of separate pharmacy seating in the pharmacy waiting area that are located adjacent to the screening wall that has no doorway.

2. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 1, in which:

the clinic station also has video-conferencing equipment that enables a customer to communicate with an off-site medical specialist.

3. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 1, in which:

the boundary walls also include a nook wall that extends between a front end of the screening wall and the entrance to the clinic station; and

the clinic waiting room within the clinic station has a nook that is partially defined by part of the screening wall and by the nook wall, and has separate nook seating for a medical assistant.

4. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 1, in which:

the clinic waiting room within the clinic station also has a nook that has separate nook seating for a medical assistant.

5. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 1, in which:

the boundary walls include a nook wall that extends between a front end of the screening wall and a side of the entrance to the clinic station opposite the waiting room wall; and

the clinic waiting room within the clinic station has a nook that is partially defined by part of the screening wall and by the nook wall and has separate nook seating for a medical assistant.

6. The retail pharmacy workspace space as recited in claim 1, in which:

the central reception desk is within direct line-of-sight of the prescription station, the pharmacy seating, and the entrance to the clinic station.

7. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 1, in which:

the central reception desk is positioned between the clinic station and the prescription station; and

overhead displays at the reception desk are within direct line-of-sight of the prescription station, the pharmacy seating, and the entrance to the clinic station, on which waiting times are displayed for both prescriptions and services in the clinic station.

8. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 1, in which:

the central reception desk is positioned between the clinic station and the prescription station; and

the reception desk has overhead displays that face the clinic station, the pharmacy waiting area, and the prescription station, on which waiting times are displayed for both prescriptions and services in the clinic station.

9. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 1, in which:

the clinic station also has a touchscreen device that is programmed to use the data associated with a customer to tailor product and service recommendations for that customer.

10. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

the parallel rows of separate pharmacy seating in the pharmacy waiting area are arranged on lines that intersect a segment of the screening wall that has no doorway.

11. A retail pharmacy workspace that comprises:

a pharmacy area that includes a prescription preparation area and a prescription station where prescriptions are delivered to customers;

a pharmacy waiting area in direct line-of-sight of the prescription station;

a clinic station where common acute health issues can be addressed, the clinic station having a waiting room that is disposed between a doorway to the clinic station and an examination room within the clinic station;

boundary walls that at least partially surround the clinic station and include;

a screening wall that separates and isolates the clinic station from the pharmacy waiting area,

a nook wall that extends between an inner end of the screening wall and one side of the doorway to the clinic station, and

a waiting room wall that extends from an opposite side of the doorway to the clinic station and is not co-linear with the nook wall;

parallel rows of separate pharmacy seating in the pharmacy waiting area that are located adjacent to the screening wall that has no doorway;

a central reception desk within direct line-of-sight of the prescription station, the pharmacy seating, and the doorway to the clinic station.

12. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 11, in which:

the waiting room within the clinic station has separate clinic seating within a clinic seating area that is partially defined by the waiting room wall; and

the waiting room wall has a window that extends from an upper part of the doorway to the clinic station and is at least partially covered by a non-opaque divider, providing direct line-of-sight from the waiting room to a display near the central reception desk.

13. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 11, in which:

the central reception desk is positioned between the clinic station and the prescription station.

14. The retail pharmacy workspace as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

the parallel rows of separate pharmacy seating in the pharmacy waiting area are arranged on lines that intersect a segment of the screening wall that has no doorway.

15. A retail pharmacy workspace that comprises:

a pharmacy area that includes a prescription preparation area and a prescription station that has both a prescription counter where prescriptions are delivered to customers and a payment station where payment can be processed;

a pharmacy waiting area in direct line-of-sight with the prescription station;

a clinic station where common acute health issues can be addressed, the clinic station having a waiting room that is disposed between an entrance to the clinic station and an examination room within the clinic station;

a central reception desk that is positioned between the clinic station and the prescription station and is separated from the clinic station by only an open circulation area;

boundary walls that at least partially surround the clinic station, have a doorway that faces the reception desk, and include a screening wall that separates and isolates the clinic station from the pharmacy waiting area, a nook wall that extends between a front end of the screening wall and one side of the doorway, and a waiting room wall that extends from an opposite side of the doorway;

a nook that is located within the waiting room, is partially defined by part of the screening wall and by the nook wall, and has nook seating for a medical assistant;

seating within a clinic seating area that is located within the clinic waiting room and is partially defined by the waiting room wall;

a separate payment station within the clinic station;

a touchscreen device in the clinic station that is programmed to use data associated with a customer to tailor product and service recommendations for that customer;

a window that is located in the waiting room wall, extends from an upper part of the doorway, is at least partially covered by a non-opaque divider, and faces the open circulation area;

overhead displays above the reception desk that face the clinic station, the pharmacy waiting area, and the prescription station, on which waiting times are displayed for both prescriptions and for services in the clinic station;

video-conferencing equipment within the clinic station that enables a customer to communicate with an off-site medical specialist; and

parallel rows of separate pharmacy seating in the pharmacy waiting area that are arranged on lines that intersect the screening wall.