Administering of medication
First Claim
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1. A method of managing medication using an administering apparatus associated with a pharmacy, comprising:
- storing patient-unassigned medication from the pharmacy in the administering apparatus, wherein the stored medication is not assigned to any patient until the medication is actually administered;
receiving a medication order at the pharmacy for a patient wherein the medication order includes a dosing regimen specific to a patient; and
thereafterchecking the medication order for interactions with other medications; and
thereafterupdating a patient record to indicate that the patient is to receive the ordered medication from a shared supply of the medication on the administering apparatus; and
thereafteradministering from the administering apparatus a dose of the patient-unassigned medication to the patient having the order with the pharmacy according to the patient'"'"'s dosing regimen; and
thenassigning the dose of the medication to the patient, including updating the patient record to indicate that the dose of the medication was actually administered to the patient,net billing for only doses of medication that are actually administered, wherein a patient or third party is prospectively billed for a predetermined quantity of doses of the medication, and the patient or third party is retroactively credited for any unused doses of the predetermined quantity of doses of medication, wherein the unused doses are not withdrawn from the administering apparatus, and the unused doses are not returned to inventory or discarded.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatuses to facilitate administering of medication.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of managing medication using an administering apparatus associated with a pharmacy, comprising:
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storing patient-unassigned medication from the pharmacy in the administering apparatus, wherein the stored medication is not assigned to any patient until the medication is actually administered; receiving a medication order at the pharmacy for a patient wherein the medication order includes a dosing regimen specific to a patient; and
thereafterchecking the medication order for interactions with other medications; and
thereafterupdating a patient record to indicate that the patient is to receive the ordered medication from a shared supply of the medication on the administering apparatus; and
thereafteradministering from the administering apparatus a dose of the patient-unassigned medication to the patient having the order with the pharmacy according to the patient'"'"'s dosing regimen; and
thenassigning the dose of the medication to the patient, including updating the patient record to indicate that the dose of the medication was actually administered to the patient, net billing for only doses of medication that are actually administered, wherein a patient or third party is prospectively billed for a predetermined quantity of doses of the medication, and the patient or third party is retroactively credited for any unused doses of the predetermined quantity of doses of medication, wherein the unused doses are not withdrawn from the administering apparatus, and the unused doses are not returned to inventory or discarded. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of managing medication using an administering apparatus associated with a pharmacy, comprising:
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storing medication from the pharmacy in the administering apparatus; administering from the administering apparatus a dose of the medication to a patient having a prescription with the pharmacy; updating an inventory of the medication in the administering apparatus responsive to the administration of the dose of the medication; estimating a date of depletion of the inventory of the medication; and stocking the administering apparatus based on the estimated date of depletion. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of managing medication at a pharmacy and a medical facility, comprising:
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packing patient-unassigned medication at a pharmacy to a cassette to be used in a administering apparatus located at the medical facility; associating data about the medication with the cassette using a computer at the pharmacy; transferring the cassette to the medical facility; loading the cassette to the administering apparatus, such that the medication is stored in the administering apparatus; identifying the loaded cassette at the administering apparatus using a computer of the administering apparatus; receiving a medication order at the pharmacy for a patient wherein the medication order includes a dosing regimen specific to a patient; and
thereafterchecking the medication order for interactions with other medications; and
thereafterupdating a patient record to indicate that the patient is to receive the ordered medication from a shared supply of the medication on the administering apparatus, wherein the medication is not assigned to the patient until administered to the patient; and
thereafteradministering from the administering apparatus a dose of the patient-unassigned medication to the patient having the order with the pharmacy according to the patient'"'"'s dosing regimen; and
thenassigning the dose of the medication to the patient, including updating the patient record to indicate that the dose of the medication was actually administered to the patient, net billing for only doses of medication that are actually administered, wherein a patient or third party is prospectively billed for a predetermined quantity of doses of the medication, and the patient or third party is retroactively credited for any unused doses of the predetermined quantity of doses of medication, wherein the unused doses are not withdrawn from the administering apparatus, and the unused doses are not returned to inventory or discarded. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. A medication administering system comprising:
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a medication administering apparatus including a plurality of cassettes holding patient-unassigned medication and an administering computer to track administration of the medication to a plurality of patients; a pharmacy computer networked to the administering computer to facilitate filling of medication orders to be administered out of the medication administering apparatus; and a prescriber computer networked to the administering computer and providing remote access to patient records stored in memory of the administering computer and to allow a prescriber to remotely generate a new medication order or change an existing medication order or submit a change order to update the existing medication order, wherein the cassettes administer the medication on a unit dose basis to a patient having a prescription, and the administering computer assigns the dose of the medication to the patient, so that the system may be used to net bill a payor for only doses actually administered to the patient, wherein a patient or third party is prospectively billed for a predetermined quantity of doses of the medication, and the patient or third party is retroactively credited for any unused doses of the predetermined quantity of doses of medication, wherein unused doses are not withdrawn from the administering apparatus, and the unused doses are not returned to inventory or discarded, and wherein at least one of the computers updates an inventory of the medication responsive to the administration of the dose of the medication, and estimates a date of depletion of the inventory of the medication so that the administering apparatus is stocked based on the estimated date of depletion.
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Specification