Patent ID: 8185322

Claim:
A method for programming a multichannel medical device having at least a first channel and a second channel, and a drug library for a plurality of clinical care areas (CCAs), each of the plurality of clinical care areas being identified in the drug library by a corresponding CCA setting value, the method comprising: receiving a new CCA setting value at the multichannel medical device from a user, the new CCA setting value being for one of the first channel and the second channel; determining whether the new CCA setting value is equal to a then current CCA setting value for the first channel; determining whether the first channel is busy delivering a therapy; when the new CCA setting value is not equal to the then current CCA setting value for the first channel and the first channel is busy delivering a therapy, accepting the new CCA setting value as an awaiting CCA setting value for the first channel; when the first channel is no longer busy, replacing the then current CCA setting value for the first channel with the awaiting CCA setting value for the first channel; determining whether the new CCA setting value is equal to a current CCA setting value for the second channel; when the new CCA setting is equal to the current CCA setting value for the second channel, maintaining the current CCA setting value for the second channel of the medical device; and operating the multichannel medical device in accordance with the new CCA setting value for the first channel and the current CCA setting value for the second channel.