On site prescription management system and methods for health care facilities

• US 9,268,912 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2011
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BTP Fund, LP
• Original Assignee: Cerx Pharmacy Partners, LP
• Inventors: Stephens, Stewart W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tomaszewski, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/085,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20110251850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• 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: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A system and method for control of prescription drug packaging and dispensing machines located in an in-patient health care facility including centralized control and enhanced communication between system components. Delay and errors in processing item data in the prescription dispensing system are reduced by using concise ID data incorporated into each canister memory chip and storing canister contents data elsewhere. Canisters are configured in a pharmacy using interchangeable parts. Data being processed is synchronized by a combination of user tokens (who), data identifiers (what), and unique Ids for the entities in the system (where). The foregoing combination enables substantial efficiency improvements and error reduction.

Claims

1. A prescription drug management system that initiates and tracks dispensation and administration of prescription medications to individual patients at one or more healthcare facilities, the prescription drug management system comprising:

a prescription order entry system configured to receive a patient specific prescription medication order for a specific patient and a specific prescription medication, and to communicate at least a portion of the patient specific prescription medication order through one or more networks;

an order management system configured with one or more processors associated with one or more servers, the order management system in communication with the one or more networks, and further configured to;

receive the at least the portion of the patient specific prescription medication order,

generate at least a first electronic record that is at least partially based on the at least the portion of the patient specific prescription medication order, and includes information regarding one or more dispensation actions, and one or more administration actions of the specific prescription medication to the specific patient,

communicate through the one or more networks the one or more dispensation actions, and the one or more administration actions of the specific prescription medication to the specific patient,

identify a prescription medication dispensing system to provide the one or more dispensation actions of the specific prescription medication for the specific patient, and

store the first electronic record associated with the specific prescription medication for the specific patient, the first electronic record configured to account for each dispensation action for the specific prescription medication, and to associate each dispensation action with one administration action of the specific prescription medication to the specific patient so as to account for, and control each dispensation action, and each administration action of the specific prescription medication for the specific patient;

the prescription medication dispensing system located at or adjacent a first healthcare facility of the one or more healthcare facilities that is remote from the order management system, the prescription medication dispensing system configured with one or more processors, and is in communication with the order management system through the one or more networks, the prescription medication dispensing system further configured to;

receive a first request to dispense the specific prescription medication associated with the first electronic record of the order management system,

dispense the specific prescription medication associated with the first electronic record of the order management system, enabled by an automated prescription drug packaging and dispensing machine (ADM) that includes a plurality of canisters, each canister having a first canister code to identify a particular canister, and second canister code to identify a type of prescription medication contained therein, the type based in part on dimensional attributes of the prescription medication, each canister further configured to store, and release the type of prescription medication contained therein, the type of prescription medication in a form of individual pills, individual tablets, individual caplets, or individual capsules, the plurality of canisters retained in the ADM during operation,

release individually, one at a time, at least one of the type of prescription medication from the ADM for the specific prescription medication for the specific patient based upon the first request received from an input device at the identified prescription medication dispensing system,

package the released specific prescription medication for the specific patient into at least one package after release by the ADM, and to dispense the at least one package for the specific patient after packaging by the ADM, and

update the first electronic record associated with the specific patient to indicate that the packaged and dispensed specific prescription medication in accordance with the first request has been dispensed, each packaged and dispensed specific prescription medication for the specific patient associated with the first request being for one administration;

wherein the input device in communication with the ADM and the one or more networks is configured to receive one or more inputs, and to initiate the first request to the ADM to package and dispense the specific prescription medication for the specific patient; and

a wireless device in communication with at least the order management system through the one or more networks, configured with one or more processors, and further configured to;

receive through the one or more networks at least some of the information associated with the first electronic record associated with the specific patient,

receive an input when the packaged and dispensed specific prescription medication for the specific patient, packaged and dispensed in accordance with the first request, has been administered to the specific patient, and

update the first electronic record associated with the specific patient after the packaged and dispensed specific prescription medication for the specific patient has been administered to the specific patient.

2. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein the ADM is operable to release in accordance with the first request the specific prescription medication for the specific patient from more than one canister.

3. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein the ADM generates an indicia on the at least one package for the specific patient, and the indicia is associated with information of the first electronic record associated with the specific patient.

4. The prescription drug management system of claim 3, wherein the indicia is one or more from the group that includes a bar code, an optical code, a printed element, a badge, a label, a magnetic element, and a readable image.

5. The prescription drug management system of claim 4, further comprising a scanner operable to read the indicia on the at least one package for the specific patient.

6. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein updated information associated with the first electronic record associated with the specific patient indicating the specific prescription medication for the specific patient has been dispensed further includes information about time the specific prescription medication was dispensed and information associated with identity of a health care professional initiating dispensation.

7. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein updated information associated with the first electronic record associated with the specific patient indicating specific prescription medication for the specific patient has been administered further includes information about time the specific prescription medication was administered, and information associated with identity of a health care professional indicating the specific prescription medication was administered to the specific patient.

8. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein updated information associated with the first electronic record is accessible by the order management system.

9. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein updated information associated with the first electronic record is communicated to the order management system.

10. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein the automated prescription drug packaging and dispensing machine stores a plurality of canisters in a plurality of rows.

11. The prescription drug management system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of canisters further include dispensing mechanisms, memory chips, and encoded labels replaceably positioned therewith.

12. The prescription drug management system of claim 10, wherein one or more of the plurality of canisters comprise interchangeable components for making said canisters configurable according to physical attributes of the prescription medications.

13. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein the order management system is operable to communicate with a plurality of prescription medication dispensing systems located at a plurality of healthcare facilities.

14. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a tablet computer having a touch screen display.

15. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a smartphone having a touch screen display.

16. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, further comprising a prescription drug resource center having associated therewith at least one database, said prescription drug resource center in operable communication with the order management system via the one or more networks.

33. The prescription drug management system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device also serves as the input device.

17. A prescription drug management system that initiates and tracks dispensation and administration of prescription medications to individual patients at one or more healthcare facilities, the prescription drug management system comprising:

an order management system configured with one or more processors associated with one or more servers, the order management system configured to;

receive at least a portion of a patient specific prescription medication order for a specific patient and a specific prescription medication through one or more networks,

generate one or more electronic records that are at least partially based on the at least the portion of the patient specific prescription medication order, and information regarding the dispensation and administration of the specific prescription medication to the specific patient, and

store the one or more electronic records associated with the specific patient, each electronic record configured to account for a dispensation action for the specific prescription medication, and to associate the dispensation action with one administration action of the specific prescription medication to the specific patient, so as to account for, and control each dispensation action, and each administration action of the specific prescription medication for the specific patient;

a prescription medication dispensing system located at or adjacent a first healthcare facility of the one or more healthcare facilities that is remote from the order management system, the prescription medication dispensing system configured with one or more processors, and in communication with the order management system through one or more networks, wherein the prescription medication dispensing system is configured to;

receive information associated with the one or more electronic records associated with the specific patient of the order management system, and a request to dispense the specific prescription medication, the request based on the one or more electronic records of the specific prescription medication for the specific patient,

dispense the specific prescription medication enabled by an automated prescription drug packaging and dispensing machine comprising;

a plurality of stored prescription medications provided in a plurality of canisters, each canister having a first canister code to identify a particular canister, and a second canister code to identify a type of prescription medication contained therein, the type based in part on dimensional attributes of the prescription medication, each canister further configured to store, and release the type of prescription medication contained therein, the type of prescription medication in a form of individual pills, individual tablets, individual caplets, or individual capsules, the plurality of canisters retained during operation in the automated prescription drug packaging and dispensing machine, and configured to release at least one prescription medication into a package prior to ejecting the at least one prescription medication from the automated prescription drug packaging and dispensing machine, the at least one prescription medication being released from the plurality of canisters for dispensation for the specific patient based upon the request received from an input device to release the at least one individual medication, the automated prescription drug packaging and dispensing machine further configured to;

package the released at least one prescription medication for the specific patient into a package, and

dispense the package for the specific patient, wherein the input device in communication with the automated prescription drug packaging and dispensing machine is configured to;

receive one or more inputs, initiate the automated prescription drug packaging and dispensing machine to dispense, and package the specific prescription medication comprising the dispensed at least one individual medication for the specific patient based on information from the one or more electronic records associated with an administration action comprising administering the at least one individual medication for the specific patient, and

update information with the one or more electronic records of the specific patient to indicate when the specific prescription medication for the administration action for the specific patient has been dispensed; and

a wireless device located at or adjacent the first healthcare facility, and configured with one or more processors, and operable to receive through the one or more networks at least some of the information associated with the one or more electronic records associated with the specific patient, the wireless device further configured to;

receive an input indicating that the specific prescription medication for the specific patient dispensed, and packaged for the administration action has been administered to the specific patient, and

update information associated with the one or more electronic records associated with the order management system, including information that the specific prescription medication for the specific patient has been administered.

18. A method that initiates and tracks dispensation and administration of prescription medications to individual patients at one or more healthcare facilities, the method comprising:

receiving a patient specific prescription medication order for a specific patient at a prescription order entry system, and communicating at least a portion of the patient specific prescription medication order through one or more networks;

providing the at least the portion of the patient specific prescription medication order to at least a first location;

generating, via one or more processors associated with one or more servers, at least one electronic record based at least in part on the at least the portion of the patient specific prescription medication order, wherein the electronic record is accessible through the one or more networks;

storing the at least one electronic record associated with the specific patient at an order management system accessible through the one or more networks;

dispensing, at a second location remote from the first location, the at least the portion of the patient specific prescription medication order in one or more packets, each containing prescription medication for the specific patient for one administration in accordance with an administration schedule provided with the at least one electronic record, the dispensing requiring an automated packaging and dispensing machine requiring a plurality of canisters, each canister having a first canister code to identify a particular canister, and a second canister code to identify a type of the prescription medication contained therein, the type based in part on dimensional attributes of the prescription medication, each canister further configured to store, and release the type of prescription medication contained therein, the type of prescription medication in a form of individual pills, individual tablets, individual caplets, or individual capsules, the plurality of canisters retained during operation in the automated packaging and dispensing machine, and configured to release at least one prescription medication into a package prior to ejecting the at least one prescription medication from the automated packaging and dispensing machine, the at least one prescription medication being released from the plurality of canisters for dispensation for the specific patient based upon the request received from an input device to release the at least one individual medication;

updating the at least one electronic record to indicate dispensing for the one administration;

using a wireless device to indicate when the one or more packets have been administered to the specific patient for the one administration; and

updating the at least one electronic record upon administration for the one administration.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

dispensing, at a third location remote from the first location, the at least the portion of the patient specific prescription medication order in the one or more packets, each containing the prescription medication for the specific patient in accordance with the at least one electronic record;

updating the at least one electronic record to indicate dispensing;

using a wireless device to indicate when the one or more packets have been administered to the specific patient; and

updating the at least one electronic record upon administration.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one electronic record is generated after the one or more packets for the specific patient are dispensed.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one electronic record is saved locally.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein updating the at least one electronic record to indicate dispensing, and updating the at least one electronic record upon administration, are provided to the order management system periodically.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein updating the at least one electronic record to indicate dispensing is initiated by the wireless device.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein dispensing is provided by the automated packaging and dispensing machine accessible through the one or more networks.

25. The method of claim 18 further comprising scanning an encoded indicia on the one or more packets for the specific patient.

26. The method of claim 18 further comprising scanning the one or more packets for the specific patient at a time of administration.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one electronic record includes information related to a healthcare professional involved in dispensing, and in administering the one or more packets for the specific patient.

28. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing a work station in operable communication with the automated packaging and dispensing machine for dispensing at the second location, wherein the work station communicates with the order management system through the one or more networks.

29. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing interface links for communicating with at least one or more of the prescription order entry system, the automated packaging and dispensing machine, the at least one electronic record, a resource center, a billings system, a pharmacy information system, a pharmacy user system, and an electronic health record.

30. The method of claim 18 further comprising assigning an access token to each authorized user to enable access to the at least one electronic record.

31. The method of claim 18 further comprising storing a subset of information about the patient specific prescription medication order remote from the order management system to ensure continuity of dispensing in case of a network outage.

32. The method of claim 18 further comprising tracking, and logging a location, and a dispensing history for each patient specific prescription medication order.