Pharmacy medication verification system

• US 9,916,715 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2017
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Datastat, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Micro Datastat, Ltd.
• Inventors: Wagner, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/397,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20170116815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 700231, 700236, 700240, 700244, 700237
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/001 Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A pharmacy medication verification system is particularly useful for verifying medications to be dispensed to hospital patients while minimizing or eliminating verification by a pharmacist. Typically, a technician or robot picks the medications from storage bins in accordance with a medical prescription or stocking order and uses various sensors to ensure that the correct medication was picked and enters a medication container. The system typically provides correct and incorrect medication indicators as well as correct and incorrect entry indicators. Error reports may be generated when appropriate to communicate any relevant errors to the pharmacist, who can then verify that the correct medications are in the container. In one aspect, the containers are in the form of patient drawers which fit within a cart for delivery to hospital rooms. A containment device may be used to secure the drawer of other container during the verification process.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

positioning a container at a filling position under a wall of a containment device defining the filling position and under an access opening extending from an inner surface of the wall to an outer surface of the wall by moving the container relative to the wall to insert the container into the filling position so that the access opening is above the container in the filling position, wherein the wall carries a cover which is movable relative to the wall between an open position in which medications may pass through the access opening into the container and a closed position in which medications may not pass through the access opening into the container;

opening the access opening by moving the cover from the closed position to the open position while the container remains at the filling position;

determining whether a first medication is a correct or incorrect medication by reading a first machine readable identifier connected to the first medication with a medication identification sensor mounted adjacent the wall and the access opening;

producing a correct or incorrect medication indicator depending on whether the first medication is the correct or incorrect medication in accordance with the determining;

causing entry of the first medication into the container by dropping the first medication with the first machine readable identifier connected thereto through the access opening into the container after the producing;

sensing the entry with an entry sensor to verify that the first medication has entered the container;

determining whether a second medication is a correct or incorrect medication by reading a second machine readable identifier connected to the second medication with the medication identification sensor mounted adjacent the wall and the access opening;

producing a correct or incorrect medication indicator related to the second medication depending on whether the second medication is the correct or incorrect medication in accordance with the determining whether the second medication is a correct or incorrect medication;

causing entry of the second medication into the container by dropping the second medication with the second machine readable identifier connected thereto through the access opening into the container after the producing the indicator related to the second medication; and

sensing the entry of the second medication with the entry sensor to verify that the second medication has entered the container.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising determining whether a third medication is a correct or incorrect medication.

3. The method of claim 2, the determining whether the third medication is a correct or incorrect medication comprising reading a third machine readable identifier connected to the third medication.

4. The method of claim 3, the reading the third machine readable identifier performed using a second medication identification sensor mounted adjacent the wall and the access opening.

5. The method of claim 4, the medication identification sensor different than the second medication identification sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, the first machine readable identifier different than the second machine readable identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, the first medication different than the second medication.

8. A method comprising:

positioning a container at a filling position under a wall of a containment device defining the filling position and under an access opening extending from an inner surface of the wall to an outer surface of the wall by moving the container relative to the wall to insert the container into the filling position so that the access opening is above the container in the filling position, wherein the wall carries a cover which is movable relative to the wall between an open position in which medications may pass through the access opening into the container and a closed position in which medications may not pass through the access opening into the container;

opening the access opening by moving the cover from the closed position to the open position while the container remains at the filling position;

determining whether a first medication is a correct or incorrect medication by reading a first machine readable identifier connected to the first medication with a medication identification sensor mounted adjacent the wall and the access opening;

producing a correct or incorrect medication indicator depending on whether the first medication is the correct or incorrect medication in accordance with the determining;

causing entry of the first medication into the container by dropping the first medication with the first machine readable identifier connected thereto through the access opening into the container after the producing;

sensing the entry with an entry sensor to verify that the first medication has entered the container;

determining whether a second medication is a correct or incorrect medication by reading a second machine readable identifier connected to the second medication with a second medication identification sensor mounted adjacent the wall and the access opening;

producing a correct or incorrect medication indicator related to the second medication depending on whether the second medication is the correct or incorrect medication in accordance with the determining whether the second medication is a correct or incorrect medication;

causing entry of the second medication into the container by dropping the second medication with the second machine readable identifier connected thereto through the access opening into the container after the producing the indicator related to the second medication; and

sensing the entry of the second medication with a second entry sensor to verify that the second medication has entered the container.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising determining whether a third medication is a correct or incorrect medication.

10. The method of claim 9, the determining whether the third medication is a correct or incorrect medication comprising reading a third machine readable identifier connected to the third medication.

11. The method of claim 10, the reading the third machine readable identifier performed using a third medication identification sensor mounted adjacent the wall and the access opening.

12. The method of claim 11, the medication identification sensor different than the third medication identification sensor.

13. The method of claim 8, the medication identification sensor different than the second medication identification sensor.

14. A system comprising:

a containment device, defining a filling position and an access opening, and including a wall which has an inner surface and an outer surface, the access opening extending from the inner surface to the outer surface;

a container at a filling position under the wall of the containment device, wherein the wall carries a cover which is movable relative to the wall between an open position in which medications may pass through the access opening into the container and a closed position in which medications may not pass through the access opening into the container;

one or more medication identification sensors, mounted adjacent the wall and the access opening, configured to;

determine whether a first medication is a correct or incorrect medication by reading a first machine readable identifier connected to the first medication; and

determine whether a second medication is a correct or incorrect medication by reading a second machine readable identifier connected to the second medication; and

one or more entry sensors, configured to;

verify that the first medication has entered the container after dropping the first medication with the first machine readable identifier connected thereto through the access opening into the container; and

verify that the second medication has entered the container after dropping the second medication with the second machine readable identifier connected thereto through the access opening into the container.

15. The system of claim 14, the one or more medication identification sensors comprising:

a first medication identification sensor configured to determine whether the first medication is a correct or incorrect medication; and

a second medication identification sensor configured to determine whether the second medication is a correct or incorrect medication.

16. The system of claim 15, the first medication identification sensor different than the second medication identification sensor.

17. The system of claim 14, the one or more medication identification sensors comprising:

a medication identification sensor configured to;

determine whether the first medication is a correct or incorrect medication; and

determine whether the second medication is a correct or incorrect medication.

18. The system of claim 14, the one or more entry sensors comprising:

a first entry sensor configured to verify that the first medication has entered the container; and

a second entry sensor configured to verify that the second medication has entered the container.

19. The system of claim 18, the first entry sensor different than the second entry sensor.

20. The system of claim 14, the one or more entry sensors comprising:

an entry sensor configured to;

verify that the first medication has entered the container; and

verify that the second medication has entered the container.