Automated method of recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in an electronic record that stores records for a plurality of patients associated with respective vending machines
First Claim
1. An automated method of recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in electronic records that store records for a plurality of patients who are associated with respective vending machines, each vending machine being associated with only one patient, the electronic records including the following fields (i) a patient identifier, (ii) schedule of dose times, (iii) contents of medication packages to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule, and (iv) vended medications indicator, the method comprising:
- (a) receiving at a medication administration computer from the vending machines electronic messages generated at the vending machine that include at least a unique identifier of the patient whenever a vending event occurs at one of the vending machines, wherein the electronic messages do not include patient names or vended medications;
(b) detecting at the medication administration computer for each received electronic message whether an electronic record exists for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and for which the scheduled dose time can be properly inferred; and
(c) recording by the medication administration computer in the vended medications indicator field of the electronic record that the medications to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule were properly dispensed if it is detected in step (b) that an electronic record exists for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and for which the scheduled dose time can be properly inferred,wherein the contents of medication packages vended from the vending machines are recorded in electronic records without communicating the patient names or the vended medications in the electronic message sent from the vending machines, and wherein all of the medication packages vended from a particular vending machine are for the same patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated method is provided for recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in electronic records, such as an electronic medication administration record (eMAR), that store records for a plurality of patients who are associated with respective vending machines. A vending event causes the electronic record to be populated. The contents of the medication packages vended from the vending machines are recorded in electronic records without communicating patient names or vended medications in the electronic message sent from the vending machines.
38 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An automated method of recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in electronic records that store records for a plurality of patients who are associated with respective vending machines, each vending machine being associated with only one patient, the electronic records including the following fields (i) a patient identifier, (ii) schedule of dose times, (iii) contents of medication packages to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule, and (iv) vended medications indicator, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving at a medication administration computer from the vending machines electronic messages generated at the vending machine that include at least a unique identifier of the patient whenever a vending event occurs at one of the vending machines, wherein the electronic messages do not include patient names or vended medications; (b) detecting at the medication administration computer for each received electronic message whether an electronic record exists for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and for which the scheduled dose time can be properly inferred; and (c) recording by the medication administration computer in the vended medications indicator field of the electronic record that the medications to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule were properly dispensed if it is detected in step (b) that an electronic record exists for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and for which the scheduled dose time can be properly inferred, wherein the contents of medication packages vended from the vending machines are recorded in electronic records without communicating the patient names or the vended medications in the electronic message sent from the vending machines, and wherein all of the medication packages vended from a particular vending machine are for the same patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in electronic records that store records for a plurality of patients who are associated with respective vending machines, each vending machine being associated with only one patient, the electronic records including the following fields (i) a patient identifier, (ii) schedule of dose times, (iii) contents of medication packages to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule, and (iv) vended medications indicator, the apparatus comprising a medication administration computer adapted to:
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(i) receive from the vending machines electronic messages generated at the vending machine that include at least a unique identifier of the patient whenever a vending event occurs at one of the vending machines, wherein the electronic messages do not include patient names or vended medications; (ii) detect for each received electronic message whether an electronic record exists for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and for which the scheduled dose time can be properly inferred; and (iii) record in the vended medications indicator field of the electronic record that the medications to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule were properly dispensed if it is detected that an electronic record exists for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and for which the scheduled dose time can be properly inferred, wherein the contents of medication packages vended from the vending machines are recorded in electronic records without communicating the patient names or the vended medications in the electronic message sent from the vending machines, and wherein all of the medication packages vended from a particular vending machine are for the same patient. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An automated method of recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in electronic records that store records for a plurality of patients who are associated with respective vending machines, each vending machine being associated with only one patient, the electronic records including the following fields (i) patient identifier, (ii) schedule of dose times, (iii) contents of medication packages to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule, and (iv) vended medications indicator, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving at a medication administration computer from the vending machines electronic messages generated at the vending machine that include at least the following information whenever a vending event occurs at one of the vending machines; (i) a unique identifier of the patient, and (ii) a scheduled dose time wherein the electronic messages do not include patient names or vended medications; (b) detecting at the medication administration computer for each received electronic message whether an electronic record exists that includes a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and the scheduled dose time; and (c) recording by the medication administration computer in the vended medications indicator field that the medications to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule were properly dispensed if it is detected in step (b) that an electronic record exists for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and the scheduled dose time, wherein the contents of medication packages vended from the vending machines are recorded in electronic records without communicating the patient names or the vended medications in the electronic message sent from the vending machines, and wherein all of the medication packages vended from a particular vending machine are for the same patient. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in electronic records that store records for a plurality of patients who are associated with respective vending machines, each vending machine being associated with only one patient, the electronic records including the following fields (i) patient identifier, (ii) schedule of dose times, (iii) contents of medication packages to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule, and (iv) vended medications indicator, the apparatus comprising a medication administration computer adapted to:
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(i) receive from the vending machines electronic messages generated at the vending machine that include at least the following information whenever a vending event occurs at one of the vending machines; (A) a unique identifier of the patient, and (B) a scheduled dose time, wherein the electronic messages do not include patient names or vended medications; (ii) detect for each received electronic message whether an electronic record exists that includes a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and the scheduled dose time; and (iii) record in the vended medications indicator field that the medications to be dispensed at the appropriate dose time in the dose schedule were properly dispensed if it is detected in step (b) that an electronic record exists for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient and the scheduled dose time, wherein the contents of medication packages vended from the vending machines are recorded in electronic records without communicating the patient names or the vended medications in the electronic message sent from the vending machines, and wherein all of the medication packages vended from a particular vending machine are for the same patient. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An automated method of recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in an electronic record that stores records for a plurality of patients who are associated with respective vending machines, each vending machine being associated with only one patient, the electronic record including (i) a patient ID field, (ii) a vended medications field, and (iii) time of medication vending, the vending machine including (i) an IP address, (ii) a vending machine controller (VMC), (iii) one or more vending slots or columns, each slot or column holding a medication package to be vended, and (iv) a vending machine data format interface connected to an electronic network for communicating vending machine data, the vending machine'"'"'s IP address, and the time of vending events, the vending machine data including the vending slot or column that a medication package was vended from, the method comprising:
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(a) providing a first database that stores the IP addresses of the plurality of vending machines and the patient ID'"'"'s of the respective vending machines, and a second database that stores IP addresses of the plurality of vending machines and the contents of the medication packages in each of the slots or columns of the respective vending machines; (b) initiating a vending event at the vending machine, the vending event being captured by the VMC and communicated to the electronic network as vending machine data via the vending machine data format interface; (c) receiving at a translation engine the vending machine data, the vending machine'"'"'s IP address, and the time of vending events; (d) converting, by the translation engine and by using the data in the first and second databases, the vending machine data into HL7 protocol compatible data, the HL7 protocol compatible data including one or more HL7 compatible transaction messages that includes (i) the patient ID, the vended medication, and the time of the vending event; (e) converting, by the translation engine, HL7 compatible transaction messages into electronic medication administration record (eMAR) data; and (f) populating the electronic record with the eMAR data for each of the vending events, the populated data including for each patient, the vended medications and the time of the vending event, wherein all of the medication packages vended from a particular vending machine are for the same patient. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of vending medication packages for a single patient from a vending machine that includes (i) a vending machine controller (VMC), and (ii) a plurality of vending slots or columns, each slot or column holding a medication package to be vended, and
(a) providing a plurality of dosing configurations, each dosing configuration defining the number of times per day that a dose of medication needs to be taken by the patient, each daily dose having a different assigned dose number, the dosing configuration defining a different vending slot or column for each assigned dose number; -
(b) programming the VMC with one of the dosing configurations, the plurality of medication packages to be vended being loaded into the vending machine in accordance with the programmed dosing configuration; and (c) vending the medication packages from the appropriate vending slot or column in accordance with the programmed dosing configuration in response to output signals from the VMC, wherein all of the medication packages vended from the vending machine are for the same patient. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A vending machine that vends medication packages for a single patient, the vending machine comprising:
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(a) a plurality of vending slots or columns, each slot or column holding a medication package to be vended; and (b) a vending machine controller (VMC) adapted to; (i) store a dosing configuration, the dosing configuration defining the number of times per day that a dose of medication needs to be taken by the patient, each daily dose having a different assigned dose number, the dosing configuration defining a different vending slot or column for each assigned dose number, wherein the plurality of medication packages to be vended are loaded into the vending machine in accordance with the dosing configuration, and (ii) vend the medication packages from the appropriate vending slot or column in accordance with the dosing configuration in response to output signals from the VMC, wherein all of the medication packages vended from the vending machine are for the same patient. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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Specification