Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7685004?dq=5,675,808
Timestamp: 2016-06-29 06:38:02
Document Index: 411793886

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n4', 'art.\n11', 'art.\n18', 'art.\n25', 'arts 30', 'arts 30', 'art 30', 'arts 30', 'art 30', 'art 357', 'art 359', 'art 359', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'arts 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30', 'art 30']

Patent US7685004 - System and software of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA system, pharmacy management software, and related methods of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in patient care facilities are provided. The pharmacy management software, for example, can include instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of providing...http://www.google.com/patents/US7685004?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7685004 - System and software of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities and related methodsAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7685004 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/951,050Publication dateMar 23, 2010Filing dateDec 5, 2007Priority dateNov 3, 2003Also published asCA2544616A1, US7698019, US8204761, US8209193, US8260632, US8489425, US8554574, US8612256, US8954338, US20050096785, US20070250210, US20080091467, US20100198615, US20100287007, US20120209627, US20130104499, US20130340395, US20140059980, US20150112715, US20160132663, USRE44127, WO2005043440A1Publication number11951050, 951050, US 7685004 B2, US 7685004B2, US-B2-7685004, US7685004 B2, US7685004B2InventorsJames W. Moncrief, James J. MartinOriginal AssigneeTech Pharmacy Services, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (110), Non-Patent Citations (27), Referenced by (17), Classifications (24), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSystem and software of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities and related methods
US 7685004 B2Abstract
A system, pharmacy management software, and related methods of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in patient care facilities are provided. The pharmacy management software, for example, can include instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of providing instructions to pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts positioned at various patient care facilities according to patient specific prescription requirements, receiving dispensing data from each of the carts, and providing separate billing records including billing data indexed by reimbursement provider for each patient at the patient care facilities. The operations can also include consolidating the billing data by patient, by patient care facility, by remote pharmacy, and/or consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider, and submitting separate consolidated reimbursement claims electronically to each respective reimbursement provider.
1. A computer implemented method of remote pharmacy management of a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, the method comprising:
scheduling on one or more computers one or more preselected time intervals for dispensing of at least one medication through each of a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts according to patient specific prescription requirements, each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts having a plurality of different medications stored in bulk therein and being located at a long term care facility positioned remote from the one or more computers;
controlling from the one or more computers each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts;
individually retrieving responsive to the controlling from the one or more computers at least one medication of the plurality of different medications stored in bulk;
loading responsive to the controlling from the one or more computers the at least one medication into one of the plurality of disposable individual patient dosing packages to thereby package the at least one medication in the one of the plurality of disposable individual patient dosing packages;
dispensing responsive to the controlling from the one or more computers the packaged one of the plurality of individual patient dosing packages into a container associated with the cart prior to the one or more preselected time intervals scheduled to thereby dispense medication by authorized medical personnel after separating the container from the cart when having the packaged one of the plurality of individual patient dosing packages therein according to patient specific prescription requirements;
receiving dispensing data to the one or more computers remote from each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, the dispensing data including which at least one medication was actually dispensed to a patient so that only medication actually dispensed is to be billed;
processing by the one or more computers billing records including billing data for each of the plurality of patients at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities based on the received dispensing data, the billing data including reimbursement provider;
consolidating the billing data according to reimbursement provider by the one or more computers to thereby generate reimbursements to be provided from one or more reimbursement providers, the billing data also including billing data for medications actually dispensed to a respective patient from at least one of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts so that only medication actually dispensed is billed to the reimbursement provider; and
submitting by the one or more computers separate consolidated reimbursement claims electronically to each respective reimbursement provider.
2. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of controlling includes dispensing the packaged at least one medication into the container during the preselected time intervals prior to a predetermined schedule of distribution of medication dosages to the plurality of patients in each of the plurality of long-term care facilities.
3. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 2, wherein the step of receiving dispensing data further includes dispensing data of medications remaining stored in bulk in and not actually dispensed from a pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart.
4. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 2, wherein the step of consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider further includes consolidating billing data by patient at a long term care facility for each reimbursement provider, and wherein the step of submitting consolidated reimbursement claims includes electronically submitting the consolidated reimbursement claims to each respective reimbursement provider for each associated patient in batch format.
5. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, further comprises submitting from the one or more computers consolidated reimbursement claims for each patient to a patient representative.
6. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of consolidating billing data further includes consolidating billing data by long term care facility for each reimbursement provider.
7. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 1, wherein the consolidating step comprises consolidating billing data from a remote pharmacy, and wherein the consolidating step includes consolidating billing data with a plurality of additional billing data from a plurality of additional remote pharmacies.
8. A computer implemented method of remote pharmacy management of a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, the method comprising:
scheduling on a computer one or more preselected time intervals for dispensing of at least one medication through each of a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts having a plurality of different medications stored in bulk therein and being located at a patient care facility;
processing control data from a computer by each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts;
individually retrieving responsive to the control data at least one medication of the plurality of different medications stored in bulk;
loading responsive to the control data the at least one medication into one of the plurality of disposable individual patient dosing packages to thereby package the at least one medication in the one of the plurality of disposable individual patient dosing packages;
dispensing responsive to the control data the packaged one of the plurality of individual patient dosing packages into a container associated with the cart to thereby dispense medication by authorized medical personnel after separating the container from the cart when having the packaged one of the plurality of individual patient dosing packages therein according to patient specific prescription requirements;
receiving by a computer dispensing data including which at least one medication was actually dispensed to a patient;
processing on a computer the received dispensing data so that only medication actually dispensed is to be billed;
processing on a computer billing records including billing data for each of the plurality of patients at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities based on the received dispensing data, the billing data including reimbursement provider;
consolidating the billing data according to reimbursement provider to thereby generate reimbursements from one or more reimbursement providers, the billing data also including billing data for medications actually dispensed to a respective patient from at least one of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts so that only medication actually dispensed is billed to the reimbursement provider; and
submitting separate consolidated reimbursement claims from a computer to each respective reimbursement provider.
9. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 8, wherein the step of consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider further includes consolidating billing data by patient at a patient care facility for each reimbursement provider.
10. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 9, wherein the step of receiving dispensing data further includes dispensing data of medications remaining stored in bulk in and not actually dispensed from a pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart.
11. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 8, further comprises submitting from the computer consolidated reimbursement claims for each patient to a patient representative.
12. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 8, wherein the step of processing control data includes dispensing the packaged at least one medication into the container during the preselected time intervals prior to a predetermined schedule of distribution of medication dosages to the plurality of patients in each of the patient care facilities, and wherein the step of consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider includes consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider for each of a plurality of patients at a patient care facility.
13. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 8, wherein the step of consolidating billing data further includes consolidating billing data by long term care facility for each reimbursement provider.
14. A computer implemented method as defined in claim 8, wherein the consolidating step comprises consolidating billing data from a remote pharmacy, and wherein the consolidating step includes consolidating billing data with a plurality of additional billing data from a plurality of additional remote pharmacies.
15. A computer readable pharmacy management program product stored on one or more tangible computer readable storage media, the pharmacy management program product comprising a set of instructions that when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform the following operations:
scheduling one or more preselected time intervals for dispensing of at least one medication according to patient specific prescription requirements through each of a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts having a plurality of different medications stored in bulk therein;
processing control data by each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts to individually retrieve at least one medication of the plurality of different medications stored in bulk, load the at least one medication into one of the plurality of disposable individual patient dosing packages, package the at least one medication, and dispense the loaded and packaged one of the plurality of individual patient dosing packages into a container associated with the cart to thereby have dispensed medication distributed by authorized medical personnel according to the patient specific prescription requirements after separating the container from the cart when having the loaded and packaged one of the plurality of individual patient dosing packages therein;
receiving dispensing data including which at least one medication was actually dispensed to a patient;
processing the received dispensing data so that only medication actually dispensed is to be billed;
processing separate billing record data including billing data for each of the plurality of patients at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities based on the received dispensing data, the billing data being indexed by reimbursement provider;
submitting separate consolidated reimbursement claims to each respective reimbursement provider.
16. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 15, wherein the operation of processing control data includes dispensing the packaged at least one medication into the container during preselected time intervals prior to a predetermined schedule of distribution of medication dosages to the plurality of patients in each of a plurality of patient care facilities.
17. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 16, the operation of receiving dispensing data further includes dispensing data of medications remaining stored in bulk in and not actually dispensed from a pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart.
18. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise submitting consolidated reimbursement claims for each patient to a patient representative.
19. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 15, wherein the operation of consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider further includes the operation of consolidating billing data by patient for each reimbursement provider, and wherein the operation of submitting consolidated reimbursement claims includes electronically submitting the consolidated reimbursement claims to each respective reimbursement provider for each associated patient in batch format.
20. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 15, wherein the operation of consolidating billing data further includes the operation of consolidating billing data by patient care facility for each reimbursement provider.
21. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 15, wherein the pharmacy management program product is adapted to provide instructions for the operation of consolidating billing data with a plurality of additional billing data from a plurality of remote pharmacies.
22. A computer readable pharmacy management program product stored on one or more tangible computer readable storage media, the pharmacy management program product comprising a set of instructions that when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform the following operations:
scheduling one or more preselected time intervals for dispensing of at least one medication according to patient specific prescription requirements through each of a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts having a plurality of different medications stored in bulk therein and being located at a different long term care facility;
controlling each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts to individually retrieve at least one medication of the plurality of different medications stored in bulk, load the at least one medication into one of the plurality of disposable individual patient dosing packages, package the at least one medication, and dispense the loaded and packaged one of the plurality of individual patient dosing packages into a container associated with the cart to thereby have dispensed medication distributed by authorized medical personnel according to the patient specific prescription requirements after separating the container from the cart when having the loaded and packaged one of the plurality of individual patient dosing packages therein;
processing billing records based on medication dispensing data received from each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, the billing records including billing data for each of the plurality of patients at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities, the billing data for each long-term care patient being indexed by reimbursement provider;
23. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 22, wherein the billing data for each patient is indexed by reimbursement provider, wherein the operation of consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider includes the operation of consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider for each of a plurality of patients at the long term care facility.
24. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 22, the operation of receiving dispensing data further includes dispensing data of medications remaining stored in bulk in and not actually dispensed from a pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart.
25. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 22, wherein the operation of consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider further includes the operation of consolidating billing data by patient for each reimbursement provider, and wherein the operation of submitting consolidated reimbursement claims includes electronically submitting the consolidated reimbursement claims to each respective reimbursement provider for each associated patient in batch format.
26. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise submitting consolidated reimbursement claims for each patient to a patient representative.
27. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 22, wherein the pharmacy management program product is adapted to provide instructions for the operation of consolidating billing data for medications dispensed to a plurality of patients from a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, and wherein at least one of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts is located at a long term care facility different than another long term care facility.
28. Pharmacy management program product as defined in claim 22, wherein the pharmacy management program product is adapted to provide instructions for the operation of consolidating billing data with a plurality of additional billing data from a plurality of additional remote pharmacies. Description
This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/944,993, filed Sep. 20, 2004, titled “System and Software of Enhanced Pharmaceutical Operations in Long-Term Care Facilities and Related Methods,” which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/516,678, filed on Nov. 3, 2003, titled “System and Software of Enhanced Pharmaceutical Operations in Long-Term Care Facilities and Related Methods,” each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This invention relates to the nursing home, retirement home, assisted living facility, and other long-term care industries in general and, more particularly, to pharmaceutical operations within nursing homes, retirement homes, assisted living facilities, and other patient care facilities.
Nevertheless, little has been done to enhance storage and distribution of medications in nursing homes, retirement homes, Alzheimer's living facilities, senior communities, assisted living facilities, and other types of long term care facilities (hereinafter collectively “long-term care facilities”) which are significantly different in operation, personnel structure, and physical structure than hospitals, physician offices, and home care. This is increasingly important as the baby boom generation ages and more and more people enter these long-term care facilities. Also, because more and more people are and will be entering these long-term care facilities and because medication costs have been rising over the years, attempting to help male pharmacies, providing services to these long term facilities, profitable can often be important in successfully operating a long-term care facility. Further, error can arise when dispensing medication, and a need still exists to reduce the risk of error in dispensing medication, especially in long-term care facilities.
In view of the foregoing, embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide a system, software and methods for enhancing pharmaceutical operations in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, retirement homes, and other long-term care facilities. Embodiments of the present invention also advantageously provide a system, software, and methods for enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities that substantially reduces medication shortages, reduces medication preparation time, reduces medication passing or dispensing time, reduces medication waste, enhances documentation, and enhances regulatory acceptance. Embodiments of the present invention additionally provide a system, software, and methods for enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities, which substantially reduce the risk of error associated with dispensing medications to patients in the homes or facilities. Embodiments of the present invention further provide a system, software, and methods for enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities, which enhance profitability of pharmacy business associated with the homes or facilities. Embodiments of the present invention still further provide a system, software, and methods for enhanced pharmaceutical operations, which streamline the medication dispensing procedures for medical personnel working with the long-term care facilities to help make the procedures more efficient and easier.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a system of enhanced pharmaceutical operation services for long-term care facilities can include a pharmacy group management computer defining a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server, and long-term care facility pharmacy management software associated with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to manage pharmaceutical operations in a plurality of long-term care facilities. A plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts are each positioned in a long-term care facility separate and remote from the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to store pharmaceuticals therein and to dispense the pharmaceuticals to authorized health care personnel located at the long-term care facility. The plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts and a plurality of pharmaceutical prescription document processors are each positioned in a long-term care facility remote separate from and in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server or a remote pharmacy group computer or server to process a pharmaceutical prescription order from the long-term care facility and to be delivered to the long-term care facility.
Additionally, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a system of enhanced pharmaceutical operation services for long-term care facilities can include a first pharmacy group management computer defining a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server and long-term care facility pharmacy management software associated with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to manage pharmaceutical operations in a plurality of long-term care facilities. A plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts are each positioned in each one of the plurality of long-term care facilities remote from the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server and in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to store a plurality of different pharmaceuticals, package a plurality of individual doses of pharmaceuticals, and dispense the plurality of individual doses of pharmaceuticals to authorized facility medical personnel located at one of the plurality of long-term care facilities. A remote pharmaceutical dispensing and storage facility is positioned remote from the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts and is associated with a second remote pharmacy group computer defining a remote pharmacy group server which is also in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server and each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts through the communication network. The remote pharmaceutical dispensing storage facility has a plurality of pharmaceuticals stored therein and has at least one vehicle positioned to deliver selected pharmaceuticals at the storage facility to each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts. Delivery, preferably along a preplanned or preselected delivery route, is accomplished in response to a combination of individual facility patient pharmaceutical dispensing instructions and medication inventory for each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts.
Embodiments of the present invention provide long-term care facility pharmacy management software adapted to be stored on the storage media. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, the software includes a patient prescription receiver which receives a digital image of a patient medication prescription order from a pharmaceutical prescription document processor associated with a remote medication dispensing apparatus, such as the above described pharmaceutical storage and dispensing device, to store the digital image of the patient medication prescription and to queue the digital image for prescription order processing. A queue receives the digital image and holds the digital image for a prescription order requirements entry and release verification by a remote pharmacy pharmacist. A drug conflict analyzer, responsive to the prescription order requirements and data contained within the patient record, can analyze the prescription order requirements against a patient medication profile, a patient allergy profile, a patient diagnosis profile, a patient insurance profile, and a drug interaction profile, to determine if a conflict exists. If no conflict is found, a dispensing initiator positioned to receive the medication inventory for each of the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts and responsive to the release verification performed by the remote pharmacy pharmacist, can transmit individual facility patient pharmaceutical dispensing instructions to the respective pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart over the communication network to thereby initiate patient medication dispensing.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pharmacy management software is adapted to be stored on a storage media associated with a pharmacy group management computer to manage pharmaceutical operations in a remote pharmaceutical dispensing and storage facility and a plurality of remotely positioned, e.g., long-term patient care facilities each having a medication dispensing apparatus. The software is further adapted to accept prescriptions from a physician, patient identification information and pharmaceutical inventory from the medication dispensing apparatus, and insurance information from the patient's insurance company. This allows the software to control dispensing medication from the medication dispensing apparatus to an authorized health-care personnel in each of the long-term care facilities, to control inventory in the medication dispensing apparatus, to order delivery of pharmaceuticals from the remote pharmaceutical dispensing and storage facility to restock the medication dispensing apparatus or for individually tailored prescription delivery for those prescriptions not stocked in the medication dispensing apparatus, and to electronically process medication claims with a reimbursement provider.
Embodiments of the present invention also provide pharmacy management software stored on a storage media associated with a pharmacy group management computer for managing pharmaceutical operations in a remote pharmacy and a plurality of remotely positioned, e.g., long-term patient care facilities each having at least one remote medication dispensing apparatus. According to an embodiment of the pharmacy management software, the pharmacy management software can include a set of instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of providing instructions to each of a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts or other medication dispensing apparatus for dispensing medication to a plurality of, e.g. long-term care, patients at the plurality of, e.g. long-term care patient facilities according to patient specific prescription requirements, receiving dispensing data from each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, providing separate billing records including billing data, indexed by reimbursement provider, for each of the plurality of patients at each of the plurality of long-term care facilities, and consolidating billing data including billing data for medications dispensed to a respective patient from at least one of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts and billing data for medications not dispensed from at least one of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts. The operation of consolidating billing data can include consolidating billing data by patient, consolidating billing data by long-term care facility, consolidating billing data by remote pharmacy, and/or consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider. The operations can also include submitting separate consolidated reimbursement claims electronically to each respective reimbursement provider.
According to an embodiment of the pharmacy management software, the pharmacy management software can include a set of instructions that when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of providing separate billing records for each of a plurality of patients at a patient care facility, consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider to thereby generate reimbursements from one or more reimbursement providers, and submitting separate consolidated reimbursement claims to each respective reimbursement provider. The billing data can include billing data for medications dispensed to a respective patient from at least one of the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts. The billing data can further include billing data for medications not dispensed from at least one of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, such as, for example, those dispensed the traditional way, e.g., due to an incompatibility with the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart, or other reasons known to those skilled in the art. The operations can also include, e.g., electronically submitting consolidated reimbursement claims for each patient to a respective patient representative.
Further, embodiments of the present invention also can include a computer readable medium that is readable by a computer to manage pharmaceutical operations in a remote pharmaceutical dispensing and storage facility defining a remote pharmacy and in a plurality of remotely positioned long-term care facilities each having at least one remote pharmaceutical dispensing and storing apparatus in communication with the computer and having a memory and a plurality of medication dispensing cartridges associated therewith. In an embodiment of the present invention, the computer readable medium includes a set of instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of establishing remote communications between each pharmaceutical storage and dispensing apparatus and the remote pharmacy, registering at least one patient for each of the plurality of, e.g., long-term patient care facilities in a database of residents for the long-term care facility associated with a pharmaceutical storage and dispensing apparatus located at that long-term care facility, storing in memory of each pharmaceutical storage and dispensing apparatus at least one medication type, an amount of medication to be dispensed, and a medication dispensing time, dispensing medication responsive to patient prescription requirements for each patient registered to the pharmaceutical storage and dispensing apparatus located at each respective long-term care facility, and maintaining a record of medication dispensed and an inventory of medication remaining in each cartridge of each pharmaceutical storage and dispensing apparatus.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer readable medium that is readable by a computer to manage pharmaceutical operations can include instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of: providing separate billing records for each of a plurality of patients at each of a plurality of patient care facilities such as, for example, long-term care facilities; and consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider to thereby generate reimbursements from one or more reimbursement providers. The billing data can include billing data for medications dispensed to a respective patient from at least one of a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts and billing data for medications not dispensed from at least one of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts, such as, for example, those dispensed the traditional way, e.g., due to incompatibility with the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart, or other reasons known to those skilled in the art. The operation of consolidating billing data can include consolidating billing data by patient, consolidating billing data by long-term care facility, consolidating billing data by remote pharmacy, or consolidating billing data by reimbursement provider. The operations can further include submitting, e.g., electronically, the consolidated reimbursement claims for each of the plurality of patients, to one or more reimbursement providers. According to an embodiment of the computer readable medium, the consolidated reimbursement claims can be submitted in a batch form to allow for batch-type processing by a reimbursement provider.
Embodiments of the present invention also include methods for generating revenue from a plurality of long-term care facilities each devoid of an on-location pharmacy. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, a method includes reducing management overhead costs and reducing pharmaceutical delivery costs. Management overhead costs can be reduced by assigning each of the plurality of long-term care facilities at least one automated pharmaceutical storage and dispensing cart to reduce workload of facility staff members, assigning a plurality of the long-term care facilities to each of at least one long-term care facility remote pharmacy, and assigning the at least one long-term care facility remote pharmacy to a single long-term care facility pharmacy group manager, to thereby continuously monitor multiple long-term care facilities. Pharmaceutical delivery costs can be reduced by delivering pharmaceuticals by remote pharmacy vehicle to replenish, in a single delivery iteration, each of a plurality of the automated pharmaceutical storage and dispensing carts and to provide those pharmaceuticals according to the patient prescription requirements and not provided by each respective pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart.
So that the manner in which the features and benefits of the invention, as well as others which will become apparent, may be understood in more detail, a more particular description of the invention briefly summarized above may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings, which form a part of this specification. It is to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only various embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the invention's scope as it may include other effective embodiments as well.
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Prime notation, if used, indicates similar elements in alternative embodiments.
FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate a system 10 of enhanced pharmaceutical operation services for long-term care facilities 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention that includes a data processing and management computer including a memory 21 to store data therein thereby to define a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15, long-term care facility pharmacy management software 20 stored in the memory 21 of the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15 to manage pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities 12, and a communications network 18 in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15. An alternative embodiment of such a system 10′ is illustrated in FIG. 9 as well.
As perhaps best shown in FIGS. 2-5, the system 10 also includes a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines or carts 30 each positioned in a separate long-term care facility 12 remote from the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15 and in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15 through the communication network 18 to store pharmaceuticals therein and to dispense the pharmaceuticals to authorized health care personnel located at the long-term care facility 12. Each of the plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines or carts 30 store a plurality of different pharmaceuticals, e.g., 176 oral solid medications as well as additional bulk storage capabilities, package a plurality of individual doses of pharmaceuticals, dispense the plurality of individual doses of pharmaceuticals to authorized healthcare personnel at the long-term care facilities, and are well understood by those skilled in the art. An example of such a pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machine or cart 30, as understood by those skilled in the art, is the PyxisEnvoy™ by Pyxis Corporation of San Diego, Calif. The PyxisEnvoy, for example, is a dispensing machine capable of securely storing bulk medication for automated patient-specific dispensing. The PyxisEnvoy is capable of packaging medications in individual patient-specific envelopes, both on-demand or at a predetermined time interval, and can organize the patient's envelopes into medication carriers. The envelopes can be further organized whereby “first dose” medications and PRN medications are positioned into separate medication carriers. Further, each envelope can be labeled by the machine with the patient's name, room number, medication, and strength. The PyxisEnvoy can store bulk medications in refill cartridges and containers providing an on-site reserve supply of medications. The PyxisEnvoy, for example, advantageously has the necessary hardware to be remotely controllable from an off-site location and the ability to receive or interface with additional software. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, other types of dispensing carts can be used as well according to the present invention.
A queue 57 receives the digital image and holds the digital image for a prescription order requirements entry and release verification by a remote pharmacy pharmacist. A drug conflict analyzer 59, responsive to the prescription order requirements and data contained within the patient record, can analyze the prescription order requirements against the patient medication profile, the patient allergy profile, the patient diagnosis profile, and patient insurance profile, and a drug interaction profile, to determine if a conflict exists. If no conflict is found, a dispensing initiator 61 positioned to receive the medication inventory for each of the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts 30 and responsive to the release verification performed by the remote pharmacy pharmacist, can transmit individual facility patient pharmaceutical dispensing instructions to the respective pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart 30 over the communication network 18 to thereby initiate patient medication dispensing.
FIG. 8C illustrates the typography of database software according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system user 351 is identified by a user ID related to the pharmacy group 353 by a pharmacy group ID. A facility 355 identified by a facility ID is also related to the pharmacy group 353 by the pharmacy group ID. A facility drug/medication dispensing cart 357 is related to the facility 355 by the facility ID and to an individual drug cart 359 (identified by cart ID) by such cart ID. A drug cart inventory 361 identified by nde (National Drug Counsel) and having pharmaceuticals identified by medication ID is related to the drug cart 359 by the cart ID. A facility formulary 363 is related to the pharmacy group 353 through the preferred drug 365 by the group ID, is related to the preferred drug 365 by a medication ID, and is related to the facility 355 by the facility ID. A pharmacy 367 identified by nabp (National Association of Boards of Pharmacy identification) is related to the pharmacy group 353 by the group ID. A patient facility residency 369 identified by start date is related to a patient 371 identified by patient ID by such patient ID) and is related to a facility room 373 (identified by room number) by such room number. The patient 371 can be related to the pharmacy group 353 by the group ID. The facility room 373 is related to the facility 355 by the facility ID. A patient insurance 375 identified by coverage date is related to insurance 377 (identified by insurer ID) by such insurer ID, and is related to the patient 371 by the patient ID. Patient allergy 379 identified by allergy ID, patient diagnosis 381 identified by icd9 cd (diagnosis profile), and patient medication profile 383 identified by ndc are each related to patient 371 by the patient ID. A prescription 385 identified by script ID is related to the pharmacy 367 by the nabp, is related to prescriber 389 (identified by prescriber ID) by such prescriber ID, and can be related to the patient 371 by the patient ID. Prescription detail 391 identified by script fill number is related to the prescription 385 by the script ID. Claim 393 identified by claim number is related to the prescription detail 391 by the script fill number and to the pharmacy group 353 by the group ID, is indirectly related to the patient prescription 385 by the script ID and the pharmacy 367 by the nabp, and can be related to the patient 371 by the patient ID. A drug utilization review (DUR) 395 is related to the prescription 385 by the script ID, the patient 371 by the patient ID, and is indirectly related to the pharmacy 367 by the nabp. DUR dose check 396, DUR drug allergy 397, DUR dup therapy 398, and DUR drug interaction 399 are identified by drug index number and related indirectly through the DUR 395 to the pharmacy 367 by the nabp, prescription 385 by the script ID and patient 371 by the patient ID. Database items (not shown) not having a primary relationship include wholesale drug price identified by ndc, price code, icd9 cd, medication roa, medication dose form, and medication frequency.
FIG. 9 illustrates a system 10′ of enhanced pharmaceutical operation services for a long-term care facility 12′ according to an embodiment of the present invention that includes an array of incoming data servers, a database server, and automated dispensing system servers each having a memory therein to store and process data therein to thereby define a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15′. The long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15′ can manage pharmaceutical operations in various managed care facilities and/or correctional facilities, such as, for example, long-term care facility 12.′ The long-term care facility 12′ includes at least one, but preferably a plurality of automated dispensing systems or machines 30′ to remotely dispense medications, and a preferably centrally located image capturing device or devices, such as, for example, fax machine 14′ and scanner 14″ connected to a workstation computer, to provide an image of a patient prescription order. The system 10′ additionally can include at least one but preferably a plurality of remote pharmacy group computers 40′ positioned remote from the long-term care facility 12.′ The remote pharmacy group computers 40′ are in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15′ and the plurality of automated dispensing systems or machines 30,′ through a communication network, to process the patient prescription orders and to provide dispensing instructions to the automated dispensing systems or machines 30′. The remote pharmacy group computers 40′ are preferably located in a remote pharmaceutical dispensing and storage facility at a location remote from both the long-term care facility 12′ and the pharmacy group management server 15.′ Long-term care facility pharmacy management software 20 can be stored in the memory of the servers defining the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15′ to manage pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facility 12.′ Further, at least portions of the software 20 can be stored in the remote pharmacy group computers 40′ and in the automated dispensing systems or machines 30,′
Restructuring communication methods and intervals, for example, can include installing (block 101) facsimile, scanning, or other document processing equipment 14 (FIG. 3) to scan physician prescription orders and to transmit them to the remote pharmacy group server 40 or the pharmacy group management server 15 via a virtual private network (“VPN”) 18 (see FIG. 7). Medication errors can be reduced when the pharmacy staff at the remote pharmacy are able to view exact images of orders (see also FIGS. 8A-8B). Voice communication over telephone lines can be error prone due to language barriers and transcription errors. Direct imaging allows the pharmacist to interpret the medication orders in the same way as the facility staff. Should an error be made, then one of the healthcare professionals is more likely to discover the error if direct imaging is in place. For example, allowing the pharmacist to read a copy of the original document insures that at least two healthcare professionals have reviewed the order, namely the nurse and the pharmacist. These separate order reviews lead to separate documentation by the nurse and the pharmacist. If these two document sources do not match, then the nurse and pharmacist can discuss the order and clarify with the prescriber, if necessary.
Further, remote pharmacy personnel, through the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server 15 or a remote pharmacy group server 40, can dial-up or otherwise remotely access the dispensing cart 30 through the communication network 18 and perform virtual “face-to-face” training of facility medical personnel along with other tasks such as, troubleshooting, packaging medications, and all other functions that can be performed by the dispensing cart 30, itself. In an embodiment of the present invention having video input device 31 (FIG. 2), this virtual “face-to-face” can further be in the form of a videoconference, including audio communications, whereby pharmacy personnel can monitor instantaneously the actions of the facility medical personnel to provide real-time feedback and to verify results of actions taken by the facility medical personnel or functions performed by the dispensing cart 30. These features provide the facility medical personnel real-time help in learning and operating the dispenser cart 30 which advantageously provides for an acceptance level not attainable where such real-time support 24/7 is not available. Note, the video input device 31 can be mounted either to the dispensing cart 30 or adjacent the dispensing cart 30 such that pharmacy personnel can readily view, and thus help instruct, actions by facility medical personnel. In an embodiment of the present invention, the video input device 31 can include hardware such as, for example, servo motors, that will allow the device 31 to be remotely controlled to change viewing angle, to change focus, or to zoom in or out to better view the facility medical personnel or components of the dispensing cart 30.
Maintaining operational status of an automated pharmaceutical storage and dispensing cart 30 can be an extremely significant issue in an automated pharmaceutical dispensing operation. In the preferred embodiment of the present intention, pharmacy staff members rather than facility staff members are assigned a primary responsibility to monitor usage, restocking, and maintenance of the pharmaceutical storage and dispensing cart 30 (block 241). Establishing accountability for the carts 30 with pharmacy personnel has led to significant improvements in operational status. Further, implementing a procedure whereby pharmacy personnel can remotely troubleshoot over the communication network 18 (block 243) a visually accessible functional component of the pharmaceutical storage electronic dispensing cart 30 with use of a video input device 31 (FIG. 2) positioned adjacent to and preferably interfaced with the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart 30. In an embodiment of the present invention, the video input device 31 can be connected to or adjacent the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart 30 via a flexible and/or snake mount or other suitable connection known to those skilled in the art, such as, for example, a USB cable, telephone cable, coaxial cable, optical cable, or wireless transceiver. The video input device 31 can thus be positionable by facility staff members or other personnel to display a realtime video image of the visually accessible functional component of the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing cart 30, allowing for real-time troubleshooting of the cart 30. Further, the video input device 31, can be remotely controlled to change viewing angle, to change focus, or to zoom in or out to better view the component or components of interest and to monitor actions of the facility medical personnel or other on-station pharmacy personnel requested to move a panel or component or to perform the repair. This allows pharmacy personnel to maintain supervision and thus control, over any non-standard mechanical manipulation or repair of the cart 30.
This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/818,416, filed Jun. 14, 2007, titled “System and Software of Enhanced Pharmaceutical Operations in Long-Term Care Facilities and Related Methods”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/944,993, filed Sep. 20, 2004, titled “System and Software of Enhanced Pharmaceutical Operations in Long-Term Care Facilities and Related Methods”; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/516,678, filed on Nov. 3, 2003, titled “System and Software of Enhanced Pharmaceutical Operations in Long-Term Care Facilities and Related Methods,” each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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SS1.* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS8091213 *Jan 10, 2012Yuyama Mfg. Co., Ltd.Installation/removal device, display change device, and dosing systemUS8204761Apr 8, 2010Jun 19, 2012Tech Pharmacy Services, Inc.System and software of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities and related methodsUS8209193Jun 29, 2010Jun 26, 2012Tech Pharmacy Services, Inc.System and software of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities and related methodsUS8260632Sep 4, 2012Tech Pharmacy Services, Inc.System and software of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities and related methodsUS8393075Mar 12, 2013Yuyama Mfg. 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Co., Ltd.Installation/removal device, display change device, and dosing systemUS20120209627 *Apr 24, 2012Aug 16, 2012Tech Pharmacy Services, Inc.System and software of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long-term care facilities and related methodsUS20150005935 *Jun 27, 2014Jan 1, 2015Infopia Co., Ltd.Central dispensing management system* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification705/2, 705/4International ClassificationG06F19/00, G06Q10/00, G06Q50/00, G06Q40/00Cooperative ClassificationG06F19/3462, G06F19/3456, G06F19/328, B65B1/30, G06Q50/24, G06Q10/08, G06F19/327, G06Q50/22, G06Q40/08, G06F19/322, G06F19/3418European ClassificationG06Q50/22, G06Q10/08, G06F19/32G, G06F19/34C, G06F19/34L1, G06Q50/24, G06Q40/08Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionDec 6, 2007ASAssignmentOwner name: TECH PHARMACY SERVICES, INC., TEXASFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MONCRIEF, JAMES W.;MARTIN, JAMES J.;REEL/FRAME:020205/0454Effective date: 20040920Owner name: TECH PHARMACY SERVICES, INC.,TEXASFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MONCRIEF, JAMES W.;MARTIN, JAMES J.;REEL/FRAME:020205/0454Effective date: 20040920Apr 17, 2012RFReissue application filedEffective date: 20120323Jun 23, 2014ASAssignmentOwner name: HEALTHCARE FINANCE GROUP, LLC, NEW YORKFree format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:TECH PHARMACY SERVICES, INC.;REEL/FRAME:033211/0925Effective date: 20140620Oct 27, 2015ASAssignmentOwner name: TECH PHARMACY SERVICES, LLC, TEXASFree format text: CORPORATION CONVERSION;ASSIGNOR:TECH PHARMACY SERVICES, INC.;REEL/FRAME:036966/0230Effective date: 20151023RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services