SYSTEM AND METHOD OF ENHANCED DISTRIBUTION OF PHARMACEUTICALS IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES

• US 20140059980A1
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech Pharmacy Services, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tech Pharmacy Services Incorporated (Partners Pharmacy LLC)
• Inventors: Moncrief, James W., Martin, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/467
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/30 Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• 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
• 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

Abstract

A system and related methods of enhanced distribution of pharmaceuticals in long-term care facilities are provided. An embodiment of a system includes one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines each positioned in a long-term care facility remote from a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server and in communication therewith, and long-term care facility pharmacy management computer programs associated with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to enhance use of the one or more of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines The long-term care facility management computer programs include a patient prescription receiver and a medication dispensing apparatus administrator and are configured and operable to transmit dispensing instructions to the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines when no drug conflicts exist to thereby initiate packaging and dispensing of one or more disposable patient dosing packages.

Claims

1. A method of distributing pharmaceuticals in a plurality of long-term care facilities through one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines positioned in each of the plurality of long-term care facilities when in communication with a communication network and one or more remote long-term care facility pharmacy management servers, the method comprising:

positioning one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines at each of a plurality of long-term care facilities and each being operable by one or more long-term care facility staff members, each of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines being positioned remote from, and adapted to be in communication with, one or more long-term care facility pharmacy management servers associated with a long-term care facility remote pharmacy via a communications network, the one or more long-term care facility pharmacy management servers including non-transitory, tangible memory medium to store long-term care facility management computer programs including a patient prescription receiver to receive a patient medication prescription order and a medication dispensing apparatus administrator to selectively remote control one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machine functions;

verifying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, one or more patient medication prescription orders received from one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors adapted to be in communication with one of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines to thereby enhance reduction of medication order errors;

processing the one or more patient medication prescription orders responsive to one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors for confirmation by one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel;

comparing, via the long-term care facility management computer programs, the one or more patient medication prescription orders with one or more of a patient medication profile, a patient diagnosis profile, and a drug interaction profile, to thereby enhance reduction of drug conflicts;

determining, responsive to the one or more patient medication prescription orders, whether drug conflicts exist;

transmitting dispensing instructions to the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines by the long-term care facility management computer programs via the communications network when no drug conflicts exist to thereby initiate dispensing of one or more disposable individual patient dosing packages at the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines; and

packaging, by the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines, one or more medications into one or more disposable individual patient dosing packages.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of providing remote training to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from the long-term care facility remote pharmacy by selectively remotely controlling one or more functions, available to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from a terminal of one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines, by the long-term care facility management computer programs via the communications network responsive to input received from the one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines is further adapted to be in communication with one or more video devices, wherein the method further includes the step of displaying, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, one or more video images of at least one visually accessible functional component of one of one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts via the long-term care facility management computer programs over the communications network and providing remote troubleshooting of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines by the one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel responsive to the one or more video images of the at least one visually accessible functional component of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines.

4. A system to facilitate enhanced use of one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines in one or more long-term care facilities when in communication with a communication network and one or more remote long-term care facility pharmacy management servers, the system comprising:

one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines positioned at each of a plurality of long-term care facilities, each of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines being positioned remote from, and adapted to be in communication with, one or more long-term care facility pharmacy management servers associated with a long-term care facility remote pharmacy via a communications network, the one or more long-term care facility pharmacy management servers including non-transitory, tangible memory medium to store long-term care facility management computer programs, the long-term care facility management computer programs including;

a patient prescription receiver to receive a patient medication prescription order, and

a medication dispensing apparatus administrator to selectively remote control one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machine functions;

the computer programs also being configured and operable to;

verify, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, one or more patient medication prescription orders received from one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors when positioned in communication with one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines to thereby enhance reduction of medication order errors;

comparing one or more digital images of the one or more patient medication prescription orders with one or more of a patient medication profile, a patient diagnosis profile, and a drug interaction profile, to thereby enhance reduction of drug conflicts;

determining, responsive to the one or more patient medication prescription orders, whether drug conflicts exist; and

transmitting dispensing instructions to the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines via the communications network when no drug conflicts exist to thereby initiate packaging and dispensing of one or more disposable patient dosing packages at the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines

5. A system as defined in claim 4, wherein the computer programs further include instructions to provide remote training to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from the long-term care facility remote pharmacy by selectively remotely controlling one or more functions, available to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from a terminal of one of the at least one pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines, by the long-term care facility management computer programs via the communications network responsive to input received from the one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel.

6. A system as defined in claim 4, wherein the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines is further adapted to be in communication with one or more video devices, wherein the computer programs further include instructions to display, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, one or more video images of at least one visually accessible functional component of one of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines via the long-term care facility management computer programs over the communications network to provide remote troubleshooting of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines by the one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel.