Medication order processing and reconciliation

• US 20070156452A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Batch, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• 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 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A system and method for managing medication orders, including verbal orders and changes to those orders, is described. A server receives mediation orders from a pharmacy and communicates those orders to an infusion pump. The infusion pump communicates status messages to the server and the server compares the status messages to the medication orders to determine if the there were any changes to the order, or if a medication was administered absent a medication order. The server assigns a new order identification number to the status message if needed. The system may also reconcile original medication orders with information associated with a new order identification number and stores the information in the eMAR of a patient.

Claims

1. A system for managing medication orders, comprising:

a server configured to receive a medication order containing medication administration information from a medication order source;

a medication administration device in operable communication with the server, the medication administration device capable of receiving medication administration information from the server, and also capable of providing the server with medication administration status information;

wherein the server compares medication administration status information received from the medication administration device to the medication administration information in the medication order, and if the server determines that there are differences between the medication administration status information and the medication administration information of the medication order, the server associates a new order identification number to the medication administration status information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the medication order includes a medication order number.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the server associates the new order identification number with the medication order number.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a medication administration record database in operable communication with the server.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the server communicates medication administration status information, including medication administration status information associated with the new order identification number, to the medication administration record database for storage in that database.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a medication administration record database in operable communication with the server, and wherein the medication status information includes the medication order number and the server communicates the medication administration status information, including medication administration status information associated with the new order identification number, to the medication administration record database for storage in that database.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a processor in communication with medication administration record database, the processor configured to reconcile medication administration status information including the new order identification number with medication order to provide a complete record of medication administration to a patient.

8. A method for managing medication orders used to identify delivery of medication to a patient, comprising:

associating a medication order number to a medication order, the medication order including medication administration information;

communicating the medication order number to a processor in communication with a medication administration device;

communicating the medication administration information from the processor to the medication administration device;

communicating medication administration status information from the medication administration device to the processor;

comparing the medication administration status information to the medication administration information of the medication administration order; and

associating a new order identification number with the medication administration status information if the comparison indicates a difference between the medication administration information and the medication administration status information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

communicating the medication administration status information including the new order identification number to a medication administration record database; and

storing the medication administration status information including the new order identification number in the medication administration record database.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein storing includes storing the medication administration status information including the new order identification number in an electronic medication administration record of a patient.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

reconciling the medication administration status information including the new order identification number stored in the medication administration record database with the medication order.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein comparing includes applying one or more rules selected from a database of rules to the communicated medication administration status information to determine if a new order identification number is applied to the communicated medication administration status information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the database of rules contains at least one institutionally determined rule.

14. A method for ensuring that medication delivery changes are captured and communicated to an electronic medication administration record, comprising:

monitoring medication delivery change actions;

flagging medication delivery change actions;

determining whether a flagged medication delivery change action is a new medication delivery order;

assigning a new order identification number to the flagged medication delivery change action if it is determined that the flagged change action is a new medication delivery order;

reconciling the new order identification number with an original order number into electronic medication record administration data; and

updating an electronic medication administration record with the electronic medication record administration data.