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System and method of enhanced distribution of pharmaceuticals in long-term care facilities

  • US 9,747,422 B2
  • Filed: 01/20/2016
  • Issued: 08/29/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of:

  • verifying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, digital images of patient medication prescription orders transmitted to a long-term care facility pharmacy management server via a communications network to confirm that no drug interactions exist, the long-term care facility pharmacy management server positioned remote from, and adapted to be in communication via the communications network with, each of 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, 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 computer program to selectively remote and electronically control one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart functions, and a drug conflict analyzer to determine whether drug conflict exists;

    initiating, by the long-term care facility pharmacy management server via the communications network, near-real-time patient medication dispensing at the one or more 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 electronically 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 medication waste reduction 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

    verifying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, via the patient prescription receiver, accuracy of 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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