Distributed remote asset and medication management drug delivery system

• US 20010044731A1
• Filed: 05/18/2001
• Published: 11/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aesynt, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aesynt, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Coffman, Damon J., Vanderveen, Timothy W., Lee, Bradford A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,600,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system and method for communicating and validating patient information including medication delivery information in a care-giving facility is provided. A medical transaction carrier is used to communicate information regarding medication delivery and other patient information between a control system in communication with the care-giving facility'"'"'s other information systems and a patient specific asset such as an infusion pump. All information carried by the medical transaction carrier is validated both at the patient specific asset and at the control system. This validation allows for positive control of all transactions even if a medical transaction carrier is lost. The medical transaction carrier may be a smartcard, a PDA such as a Palm™ Pilot, laptop computer, pager, mobile phone, or other device capable of storing and communicating information. The system may use either wired or wireless connections to communicate information between the components of the system.

Claims

1. A system for managing information relating to the delivery of medical care to a patient, comprising:

a medical transaction carrier having;

a memory for storing medical transaction information;

a patient specific asset having;

communication means for communicating with the medical transaction carrier to store medical transaction information in the memory of the medical transaction carrier and for retrieving medical transaction information from the memory of the medical transaction carrier,

a memory for storing medical transaction information; and

a processor configured to compare medical transaction information stored in the memory of the patient specific asset to medical transaction information retrieved from the medical transaction carrier to validate the retrieved medical transaction information; and

a computer in operable communication with a memory for storing medical transaction information, the computer having;

communication means for communicating with the medical transaction carrier to store medical transaction information in the memory of the medical transaction carrier and for retrieving medical transaction information from the memory of the medical transaction carrier, and

wherein the computer is configured to compare medical transaction information stored in the operably connected memory to medical transaction information retrieved from the medical transaction carrier to validate the retrieved medical transaction information.

2. The system of

claim 1

wherein the patient specific asset further includes a bar code reader for reading data included in bar codes and wherein the processor of the patient specific asset is adapted to associate data read by the bar code reader with medical transaction information and store the data in the memory.

3. The system of

claim 1

wherein the communication means of the patient specific asset includes a reader configured to provide a communication path between the medical transaction carrier and the patient specific asset.

4. The system of

claim 3

wherein the patient specific asset includes a housing and the reader is mounted within the housing.

5. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the medical transaction carrier further comprises input/output means for receiving information from an information source to be stored in the memory and for transmitting information stored in the memory to an information receiver.

6. The system of

claim 5

, wherein the input/output means of the medical transaction carrier and the communication means of the patient specific asset each include a wireless transmitter/receiver.

7. The system of

claim 6

wherein the wireless transmitter/receivers transmit and receive signals using electromagnetic energy.

8. The system of

claim 7

wherein the electromagnetic energy is infrared energy.

9. The system of

claim 7

wherein the electromagnetic energy is radio frequency energy.

10. The system of

claim 5

, wherein the input/output means of the medical transaction carrier and the communication means of the computer each include a wireless transmitter/receiver.

11. The system of

claim 10

wherein the wireless transmitter/receivers transmit and receive signals using electromagnetic energy.

12. The system of

claim 11

wherein the electromagnetic energy is infrared energy.

13. The system of

claim 11

wherein the electromagnetic energy is radio frequency energy.

14. The system of

claim 3

wherein the memory of the medical transaction carrier is a magnetic strip and the reader is a magnetic strip reader.

15. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the medical transaction carrier is a smart card.

16. The system of

claim 1

wherein the medical transaction carrier is a personal data assistant (PDA).

17. The system of

claim 16

wherein the PDA includes a means for manually entering information into the memory of the PDA.

18. The system of

claim 1

wherein the medical transaction carrier includes an embedded processor.

19. The system of

claim 3

wherein the medical transaction carrier is a smart card and the reader is configured to provide a communication path between a smart card and the patient specific asset.

20. The system of

claim 3

wherein the medical transaction carrier includes an embedded processor and the reader is configured to provide a communication path between the embedded processor and the patient specific asset.

21. The system of

claim 3

wherein the medical transaction carrier is a PDA and the reader comprises a cradle configured to provide a communication path between the PDA and the patient specific asset.

22. The system of

claim 1

wherein the patient specific asset is an infusion pump.

23. The system of

claim 1

wherein the medical transaction information includes a unique transaction identifier.

24. The system of

claim 1

wherein the medical transaction information includes information identifying the location of the patient specific asset in an facility.

25. The system of

claim 1

wherein the medication transaction information includes an identification of a care-giver delivering medication to a patient.

26. A system for managing information relating to the delivery of medication to a patient, comprising:

a medication order data base in which medication orders for patients are stored and each order is assigned a unique identifier;

a computer in communication with the medication order data base and adapted to process the medication orders stored in the data base;

a medical transaction carrier having;

a memory for storing medication order information including medication orders; and

a patient specific asset configured for physically interacting with a patient, and having;

a communication device to communicate with the medical transaction carrier;

a memory adapted to store medication order information received from the medical transaction carrier;

a processor adapted to;

compare medication order information stored in the memory of the patient specific asset to medication order information retrieved from the medical transaction carrier to validate the retrieved medication order information;

to communicate through the communication device to the medical transaction carrier that the medication order was received by the patient specific asset;

to continue to communicate to each medical transaction carrier that a medication order resides in the memory until the medication transaction carrier includes a cleared indicator from the computer; and

a computer in operable communication with a memory for storing medication order information, the computer operably connected to

a communication device to communicate with the medical transaction carrier; and

wherein the computer is configured to compare medication order information stored in the operably connected memory to medication order information communicated from the medical transaction carrier to validate the communicated medication order information.

27. The system of

claim 26

, wherein the medical transaction carrier further comprises input/output means for receiving information from an information source to be stored in the memory and for transmitting information stored in the memory to an information receiver.

28. The system of

claim 27

, wherein the input/output means of the medical transaction carrier and the communication device of the patient specific asset each include a wireless transmitter/receiver.

29. The system of

claim 28

wherein the wireless transmitter/receivers transmit and receive signals using electromagnetic energy.

30. The system of

claim 29

wherein the electromagnetic energy is infrared energy.

31. The system of

claim 29

wherein the electromagnetic energy is radio frequency energy.

32. The system of

claim 27

, wherein the input/output means of the medical transaction carrier and the communication device of the computer each include a wireless transmitter/receiver.

33. The system of

claim 32

wherein the wireless transmitter/receivers transmit and receive signals using electromagnetic energy.

34. The system of

claim 33

wherein the electromagnetic energy is infrared energy.

35. The system of

claim 33

wherein the electromagnetic energy is radio frequency energy.

36. The system of

claim 26

wherein the communication device of the patient specific asset includes a reader configured to provide a communication path between the medical transaction carrier and the patient specific asset.

37. The system of

claim 36

wherein the patient specific asset includes a housing and the reader is mounted within the housing.

38. The system of

claim 36

wherein the memory of the medical transaction carrier is a magnetic strip and the reader is a magnetic strip reader.

39. The system of

claim 26

, wherein the medical transaction carrier is a smart card.

40. The system of

claim 26

wherein the medical transaction carrier is a personal data assistant (PDA).

41. The system of

claim 40

wherein the PDA includes a means for manually entering information into the memory of the PDA.

42. The system of

claim 26

wherein the medical transaction carrier includes an embedded processor.

43. The system of

claim 36

wherein the medical transaction carrier is a smart card and the reader is configured to provide a communication path between a smart card and the patient specific asset.

44. The system of

claim 36

wherein the medical transaction carrier includes an embedded processor and the reader is configured to provide a communication path between the embedded processor and the patient specific asset.

45. The system of

claim 36

wherein the medical transaction carrier is a PDA and the reader comprises a cradle configured to provide a communication path between the PDA and the patient specific asset.

46. The system of

claim 26

wherein the patient specific asset is an infusion pump.

47. The system of

claim 26

wherein the medication order information includes information identifying the location of the patient specific asset in an facility.

48. The system of

claim 26

wherein the medication order information includes an identification of a care-giver delivering medication to a patient.

49. A method for managing information relating to the delivery of medical care to a patient, comprising:

storing medical transaction information representing an order for medical care to be delivered to the patient in a memory of a medical transaction carrier;

retrieving delivery information for previous medical transactions from a database and storing the retrieved information in the memory of the medical transaction carrier;

transporting the medical transaction carrier to a patient specific asset associated with the patient, the patient specific asset having a memory including delivery information generated by the patient specific asset during previous medical care deliveries stored therein;

communicating the medical transaction information and the delivery information from the medical transaction carrier to the patient specific asset; and

determining from the communicated delivery information whether delivery information generated by the patient specific asset has been previously communicated to and received by the database.

50. The method of

claim 49

wherein determining includes comparing the delivery information communicated from the medical transaction carrier to the stored delivery transaction information to determine whether the communicated delivery information includes information indicating that delivery information generated by the patient specific asset for a previous medical care delivery has been received by the database.

51. The method of

claim 49

wherein storing medical transaction information includes associating a unique transaction identifier with the medical transaction information.

52. The method of

claim 49

further comprising:

delivering the medical care to the patient using the patient specific asset;

generating delivery information representative of the medical care delivery by the patient specific asset; and

communicating the generated delivery information to the medical transaction carrier.

53. The method of

claim 52

further comprising:

communicating the generated delivery information from the medical transaction carrier to the database.

54. The method of

claim 53

wherein storing the medical transaction information includes storing the medical transaction information in the database;

and, further comprising;

associating the communicated generated delivery information with the medical transaction information stored in the database, indicating that the medical care has been delivered to the patient.

55. The method of

claim 54

, wherein storing the medical transaction information further comprises generating reception information indicating that the generated delivery information has been received by the database.

56. The method of

claim 55

, wherein generating reception information further comprises communicating the reception information to the patient specific asset.

57. The method of

claim 56

, further comprising:

receiving the communicated reception information by the patient specific asset, and

clearing all information associated with the reception information from the memory of the patient specific asset.

58. A method for managing information relating to the delivery of medical care to a patient, comprising:

retrieving delivery information for previous medical transactions from a database;

communicating medical transaction information representing an order for medical care to be delivered to the patient and the delivery information to a patient specific asset; and

determining from the communicated delivery information whether delivery information generated by the patient specific asset has been previously communicated to and received by the database.

59. The method of

claim 58

wherein determining includes comparing the communicated delivery information to delivery information stored in a memory of the patient specific asset to determine whether the communicated delivery information includes information indicating that delivery information generated by the patient specific asset for a previous medical care delivery has been received by the database.

60. The method of

claim 58

wherein communicating medical transaction information includes associating a unique transaction identifier with the medical transaction information.

61. The method of

claim 58

further comprising:

delivering the medical care to the patient using the patient specific asset;

generating delivery information representative of the medical care delivery by the patient specific asset; and

communicating the generated delivery information to the database.

62. The method of

claim 61

wherein communicating the medical transaction information includes storing the medical transaction information in the database;

and, further comprising;

associating the communicated generated delivery information with the medical transaction information stored in the database, indicating that the medical care has been delivered to the patient.

63. The method of

claim 62

, wherein storing the medical transaction information further comprises generating reception information indicating that the generated delivery information has been received by the database.

64. The method of

claim 63

, wherein generating reception information further comprises communicating the reception information to the patient specific asset.

65. The method of

claim 64

, further comprising:

receiving the communicated reception information by the patient specific asset, and

clearing all information associated with the reception information from a memory of the patient specific asset.

66. A method for managing information relating to the delivery of medical care to a patient, comprising:

retrieving delivery information for previous medical transactions from a database;

communicating medical transaction information representing an order for medical care to be delivered to the patient and the delivery information to a patient specific asset; and

comparing the communicated delivery information to delivery information stored in a memory operably connected to the patient specific asset to determine whether the communicated delivery information includes information indicating that delivery information generated by the patient specific asset for a previous medical care delivery has been received by the database.

67. The method of

claim 66

wherein communicating medical transaction information includes associating a unique transaction identifier with the medical transaction information.

68. The method of

claim 66

further comprising:

delivering the medical care to the patient using the patient specific asset;

generating delivery information representative of the medical care delivery by the patient specific asset; and

communicating the generated delivery information to the database.

69. The method of

claim 68

wherein communicating the medical transaction information includes storing the medical transaction information in the database;

and, further comprising;

associating the communicated generated delivery information with the medical transaction information stored in the database, indicating that the medical care has been delivered to the patient.

70. The method of

claim 69

, wherein storing the medical transaction information further comprises generating reception information indicating that the generated delivery information has been received by the database.

71. The method of

claim 70

, wherein generating reception information further comprises communicating the reception information to the patient specific asset.

72. The method of

claim 71

, further comprising:

receiving the communicated reception information by the patient specific asset, and

clearing all information associated with the reception information from a memory of the patient specific asset.

73. A system for managing information relating to the delivery of medical care to a patient, comprising:

an information system having;

communication means for transmitting and receiving medical transaction information;

a patient specific asset, the patient specific asset having;

communication means for communicating with the information system for receiving medical transaction information from the information system and for communicating delivery medical transaction information from the patient specific asset to the information system,

a memory for storing the delivery medical transaction information, and

a processor configured to compare the delivery medical transaction information stored in the memory of the patient specific asset to the medical transaction information received from the information system to determine whether the received medical transaction information includes a signal from the information system that the stored delivery medical transaction information has been previously communicated to the information system by the patient specific asset.

74. The system of

claim 73

, further comprising:

a plurality of medication transaction carriers for communicating medical transaction information; and

wherein the communication means of the information system and the patient specific asset include means for inputting and retrieving medical transaction information to and from the medical transaction carrier.

75. The system of

claim 74

, wherein the information system communicates a medical transaction order to the patient specific asset using a selected number of the plurality of medical transaction carriers and includes a signal in medical transaction information latter communicated to the patient specific asset when the information system determines that it has received validation that all of the selected number medical transaction carriers for the medical transaction order were received by the patient specific asset.