Patent ID: 7685004

Claim:
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.