Systems and methods for supply chain management

• US 9,589,247 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX Ultimate Parent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX Ultimate Parent Corp.)
• Inventors: Bolene, David, Bolinger, Eric, Drees, Margot, Fornarola, Janine
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ross, Scott
• Application Number:
  US13/804,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

Systems and methods are directed to supply chain management. In particular, the tracking, tracing, authenticating, and reporting of supply chain events for products, is disclosed. Various embodiments can store, analyze, and track supply chain events and help to coordinate and maintain trading partner connections. Various embodiments also help to enhance patient safety, secure the supply chains for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other healthcare products, and help users to follow regulatory requirements.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer-based system and based on scanning at a first location, data for a commissioning event associated with an item at the first location,

wherein the commissioning event includes identifying at least one of the item, a container associated with the item or aggregation hierarchies for the item;

wherein the first location impacts the scanning of the data that is obtained by a proximity-based scanner at the first location,

wherein the proximity-based scanner scans an electronic product code (EPC) at the first location,

wherein the proximity-based scanner communicates with the computer-based system;

storing, by the computer-based system, the data for the commissioning event in a database as ungrouped data elements formatted as a block of binary (BLOB);

tuning, by the computer-based system, the database to optimize database performance,

wherein the tuning includes placing frequently used files on separate file systems to reduce in and out bottlenecks;

obtaining, by the computer-based system, the data from the database for the commissioning event;

determining, by the computer-based system using the data and for the EPC listed in the commissioning event, that the EPC at the first location is known;

associating, by the computer-based system, the commissioning event with the EPC at the first location;

in response to an event sequence not existing, initiating, by the computer-based system, an event sequence with the commissioning event as the initial event for the EPC at the first location;

in response to an event existing in the event sequence earlier than the commissioning event, setting, by the computer-based system, the EPC state to a potential duplicate EPC condition at the first location;

in response to a missing commissioning event in the event sequence, determining, by the computer-based system, that the commissioning event satisfies the missing commissioning event;

in response to the commissioning event satisfying the missing commissioning event, clearing, by the computer-based system, the EPC state of the missing commissioning event; and

in response to the commissioning event not satisfying the missing commissioning event, updating, by the computer-based system, the EPC state that the commissioning event does not satisfy the missing commissioning event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a decommissioning event that includes at least one of destruction of unconsumed item, destruction of an expired item, destruction of a damaged product, a recalled product at the point of destruction, a product being dispensed, a product being consumed, or the container being discarded.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computer-based system, a location of the item by analyzing the event sequence for the item.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computer-based system, whether there are a plurality of event sequences for the item; and

in response to the plurality of event sequences for the item, generating, by the computer-based system, an alert for the item.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

designating, by the computer-based system, a type of the data as a key field in a plurality of related data tables to speed searching for the data;

partitioning, by the computer-based system and using the key field, the database according to a class of objects defined by the key field to speed searching for the data for the commissioning event;

linking, by the computer-based system, the plurality of related data tables based on the type of the data in the key fields; and

sorting, by the computer-based system, the data according to a known order to simplify the lookup process.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, by the computer-based system, aggregation events of the identified events to determine one or more parent items;

identifying, by the computer-based system, events associated with the one or more parent items;

identifying, by the computer based system and based on the aggregation event, a parent-child relationship between the item and the container having a child EPC;

retrieving, by the computer-based system, the identified events for the one or more parent items; and

generating, by the computer-based system, an event sequence for the item from the retrieved events for the item and from the retrieved events for the one or more parent items.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing, by the computer-based system, a subset of the items associated with the EPC from the container, in response to a condition reflecting error.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, by the computer-based system, aggregation events and disaggregation events of the identified events to determine one or more parent items;

identifying, by the computer-based system, events associated with the one or more parent items;

filtering, by the computer-based system, events associated with the one or more parent items that only apply to the item;

retrieving, by the computer-based system, the filtered events for the one or more parent items; and

generating, by the computer-based system, an event sequence for the item from the retrieved events for the item and from the retrieved events for the one or more parent items.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, by the computer-based system, the retrieved events to determine duplicate events;

generating, by the computer-based system, an event sequence for the item from the retrieved events that does not include the duplicate events; and

determining, by the computer-based system, a location of the item by analyzing the event sequence for the item.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding, by the computer-based system and in response to a condition reflecting error, a subset of the items associated with the EPC to be commissioned at least one of on the production line, as a shipment is being packed, or by a wholesaler.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, by the computer-based system, the retrieved events to determine missing events;

generating, by the computer-based system, an event sequence for the item from the retrieved events; and

determining, by the computer-based system, a location of the item by analyzing the event sequence for the item.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, by the computer-based system, the retrieved events to determine events that arrived out of order;

ordering, by the computer-based system, the retrieved events to generate an event sequence for the item from the retrieved events; and

determining, by the computer-based system, a location of the item by analyzing the event sequence for the item.

13. The method of claim 1, removing, by the computer-based system and in response to the condition reflecting error, a subset of the items associated with the EPC.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the commissioning event includes at least one of the EPC, a name, manufacturer, dosage form, strength, container size, lot number, name of trading partners, shipping addresses, a global location number (GLN), or a license.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the chain of custody of the item is traceable, even after the container is decommissioned.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising a shipping event including at least one of homogeneous shipments, mixed-case shipments, partial cases, shipments with or without pallets, drop shipments, or shipments in totes.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating, by the computer-based system, at least one of a new link for related events or an unlinked event by utilizing the rules engine.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the commissioning event includes at least one of an event date/time, a record time, an EPC List, a read point, a business location, a lot/batch number, a lot/batch expiration date, a GTIN, drug product information, a Manufacturer Name, Information Provider Name, a Manufacturer GLN, a Information Provider GLN, contact information for a Manufacturer, or contact information for an Information Provider.

19. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system configured for managing a supply chain, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the computer-based system and based on scanning at a first location, data for a commissioning event associated with an item at the first location,

wherein the commissioning event includes identifying at least one of the item, a container associated with the item or aggregation hierarchies for the item;

wherein the first location impacts the scanning of the data that is obtained by a proximity-based scanner at the first location,

wherein the proximity-based scanner scans an electronic product code (EPC) at the first location,

wherein the proximity-based scanner communicates with the computer-based system;

storing, by the computer-based system, the data for the commissioning event in a database as ungrouped data elements formatted as a block of binary (BLOB);

tuning, by the computer-based system, the database to optimize database performance,

wherein the tuning includes placing frequently used files on separate file systems to reduce in and out bottlenecks; and

obtaining, by the computer-based system, the data from the database for the commissioning event;

determining, by the computer-based system using the data and for each EPC listed in the commissioning event, that the EPC at the first location is known;

associating, by the computer-based system, the commissioning event with the EPC at the first location;

in response to an event sequence not existing, initiating, by the computer-based system, an event sequence with the commissioning event as the initial event for the EPC at the first location;

in response to an event existing in the event sequence earlier than the commissioning event, setting, by the computer-based system, an EPC state to potential duplicate EPC condition at the first location;

in response to a missing commissioning event in the event sequence, determining, by the computer-based system, that the commissioning event satisfies the missing commissioning event;

in response to the commissioning event satisfying the missing commissioning event, clearing, by the computer-based system, the EPC state of the missing commissioning event; and

in response to the commissioning event not satisfying the missing commissioning event, updating, by the computer-based system, the EPC state that the commissioning event does not satisfy the missing commissioning event.

20. A computer-based system comprising:

a processor configured for managing a supply chain,

a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor,

the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the computer-based system and based on scanning at a first location, data for a commissioning event associated with an item at the first location,

wherein the commissioning event includes identifying at least one of the item, a container associated with the item or aggregation hierarchies for the item;

wherein the first location impacts the scanning of the data that is obtained by a proximity-based scanner at the first location,

wherein the proximity-based scanner scans an electronic product code (EPC) at the first location,

wherein the proximity-based scanner communicates with the computer-based system;

storing, by the computer-based system, the data for the commissioning event in a database as ungrouped data elements formatted as a block of binary (BLOB);

tuning, by the computer-based system, the database to optimize database performance,

wherein the tuning includes placing frequently used files on separate file systems to reduce in and out bottlenecks; and

obtaining, by the computer-based system, the data from the database for the commissioning event;

determining, by the computer-based system using the data and for each EPC listed in the commissioning event, that the EPC at the first location is known;

associating, by the computer-based system, the commissioning event with the EPC at the first location;

in response to an event sequence not existing, initiating, by the computer-based system, an event sequence with the commissioning event as the initial event for the EPC at the first location;

in response to an event existing in the event sequence earlier than the commissioning event, setting, by the computer-based system, an EPC state to potential duplicate EPC condition at the first location;

in response to a missing commissioning event in the event sequence, determining, by the computer-based system, that the commissioning event satisfies the missing commissioning event;

in response to the commissioning event satisfying the missing commissioning event, clearing, by the computer-based system, the EPC state of the missing commissioning event; and

in response to the commissioning event not satisfying the missing commissioning event, updating, by the computer-based system, the EPC state that the commissioning event does not satisfy the missing commissioning event.