Integrated, non-sequential, remote medication management and compliance system

Abstract

An integrated medication management and compliance system for enabling a care provider to remotely manage and deliver individual doses of therapeutic products to a patient, in a non-sequential fashion. System includes delivery apparatus remotely located from the care provider, wherein the apparatus stores a plurality of sealed unit dose packages that are delivered to a patient at a scheduled dosing time. The delivery apparatus is coupled to a control facility and to a computer terminal of the care provider by way of a secure communications network. The system enables the patient's medication regimen to be remotely tailored in real-time to accommodate fluid medical conditions.

1 . An apparatus for storing and delivering individual doses of therapeutic products, the system comprising:
 a controller;   a housing comprising an area configured to retain at least one medication carrier comprising a plurality of unit dose packages in a two-dimensional arrangement, each of the plurality of unit does packages comprising an individual dose of a therapeutic product; and   an ejector assembly in communication with the area configured to retain the at least one medication carrier that, in response to at least one instruction from the controller, accesses a unit dose package of the plurality of unit dose packages and removes the unit dose package from the at least one medication carrier.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an electronic reader, in communication with the controller, operative to read an identification associated with a medication carrier of the at least one medication carrier.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the electronic reader comprises a bar code reader. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the electronic reader comprises a radio frequency identification tag reader. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a detectable signal generator, in communication with the controller, operative to generate a detectable signal to prompt a person to retrieve the unit dose package.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the detectable signal generator comprises an audible signal generator. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the detectable signal generator comprises a visible signal generator. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a user interface, in communication with the controller, operative to receive a confirmation signal subsequent to generation of the detectable signal.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the user interface is further operative to display information pertaining to the therapeutic product. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the controller is operative to provide the at least one instruction to the ejector assembly based on a dosing regimen that defines one or more time windows for dispensing the unit dose package. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the ejector assembly non-consecutively accesses the unit dose package. 
     
     
         12 . A method of delivering individual doses of therapeutic products, the method comprising:
 receiving, by an ejector assembly, at least one instruction from a controller; and   in response to the at least one instruction, removing, by the ejector assembly from an area of a housing configured to retain at least one medication carrier comprising a plurality of unit dose packages in a two-dimensional arrangement, a unit dose package of the plurality of unit dose packages that is accessed by the ejector assembly,   wherein each of the plurality of unit does packages comprising an individual dose of a therapeutic product.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein removing the unit dose package further comprises non-consecutively accessing the unit dose package by the ejector assembly. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  wherein each unit dose package includes an identifier on a surface thereof, and wherein the method further comprises:
 reading one or more package identifiers on the medication carrier; and 
 verifying release of the unit dose package. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the package identifier comprises information regarding the therapeutic product within the unit dose package. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 reading an identifier for the medication carrier; and   determining the therapeutic product and a dosage for each unit dose package within the medication carrier based on the identifier.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 electronically recording the therapeutic product and dosage for each unit dose package within the medication carrier.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 determining a unit dose package to remove from the medication carrier based on the electronically recorded therapeutic products and dosages.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 electronically recording when the unit dose package has been removed from the medication carrier.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 generating a detectable signal to prompt a person to retrieve the unit dose package.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the detectable signal comprises an audible signal. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the detectable signal comprises a visible signal. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 receiving a confirmation signal from an input interface subsequent to generation of the detectable signal.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 displaying information pertaining to the therapeutic product.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the therapeutic product comprises one or more of a medication, a pharmaceutical, a nutraceutical, a diagnostic material, a solid dose, a liquid dose and an injection device comprising a dose. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 accessing a dosing regimen, wherein the dosing regimen defines one or more time windows for dispensing the unit dose package.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising:
 determining whether to dispense the unit dose package based at least in part on the dosing regimen.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 storing an inventory of those sealed unit dose packages remaining in each medication carrier.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 storing an inventory of the dose package removed from the medication carrier.