Medication preparation queue

Abstract

A system an method provides monitoring of an electronic data feed including data indicating medication orders, and provides, for display at an output device, an electronic virtual queue in which orders for medications to be prepared are listed and updated in real time based on changes from the electronic data feed. Information indicative of an order for medication for a patient from the electronic data feed is received based on monitoring the electronic data feed, and the system and method determines a position in a virtual queue configured to display multiple medication orders to be filled based a position associated with another medication having a same type or a same component as the medication, and provides, for display at the output device, the virtual queue and an indicator of the order for the medication at the position in the virtual queue among respective indicators of the multiple medication orders.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for managing preparation of a medication for a patient, the system comprising:
 one or more processors; and   a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause one or more processors to:
 monitor an electronic data feed, the electronic data feed including data indicating medication orders; 
 provide, for display at an output device, an electronic virtual queue in which orders for medications to be prepared are listed and updated in real time based on changes from the electronic data feed; 
 receive, based on monitoring the electronic data feed, information indicative of an order for medication for a patient from the electronic data feed; 
 determine a position in a virtual queue configured to display multiple medication orders to be filled based a position associated with another medication having a same type or a same component as the medication; and 
 provide, for display at the output device, the virtual queue and an indicator of the order for the medication at the position in the virtual queue among respective indicators of the multiple medication orders. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:
 aggregate a plurality of orders into batches based on respective component medications that are indicated by each of the plurality of orders;   select, based on at least a first component medication of the respective component medications, a first batch of orders;   determine medication containers that should be retrieved from a storage location to prepare the first batch of orders;   provide an indication of the medication containers for display on the output device.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:
 receive, from a recording device, respective captured images of each component used to prepare the medication associated with the order;   provide the respective captured images for display; and   receive, after the respective captured images are provided for display, a verification that the medication was prepared with each component.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:
 update, upon receiving the verification, the virtual queue to identify the medication as having been prepared and ready at a retrieval location for delivery to a delivery location   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:
 receive a first automated notification provided by a first reader device at a retrieval location associated with a preparation of the medication, and a second automated notification provided by a second reader device on a delivery cart, based on respective scannings of an active identification device affixed to the medication by the first and second reader devices, the scannings occurring wirelessly without a scanning action taken by a participant;   store delivery progress information based on the first and second automated notifications, the delivery progress information including a last-known read location associated with the medication and a time of a last location reading at the last-known read location;   receive, from a tracking device, a tracking request for the delivery progress information; and   provide, responsive to the tracking request, the delivery progress information to the tracking device to inform a user of the last-known read location and time of the last location reading.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:
 identify an unused medication designated to be returned from a location associated with a patient before the unused medication is administered to the patient by a medical device designated to administer the unused medication to the patient;   determine whether the order for the medication can be filled with the returned unused medication; and   provide for display a notification to fill the order with the returned unused medication.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein determining whether the order for the medication can be filled with the returned unused medication is based on a comparison between at least two of an expiration time of the returned unused medication an estimated amount of time for delivering the returned unused medication to a preparation location, a time that the returned unused medication is to be administered to a patient, and a delivery deadline for the returned unused medication. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine that the order for the medication can be filled with the returned unused medication and another returned medication,   wherein the notification indicates that the returned unused medication should be combined with another returned medication to fill the order   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:
 provide, for display at a computing device remote from the system, a notification configured to cause a display of a graphical visualization of a path by which a delivery person can retrieve the returned unused medication while delivering at least one other medication, overlaid on a graphically displayed map.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors is further configured to:
 identify a delivery location for the order of medication;   determine whether an order for another medication is ready for delivery to or near the delivery location; and   provide a notification to a device associated with a delivery person responsible for delivering the order for the medication to delay delivery of the other medication until the order of medication has been filled.   
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions for causing a computing device to perform operations comprising:
 monitoring an electronic data feed, the electronic data feed including data indicating medication orders;   providing for display, an electronic virtual queue in which orders for medications to be prepared are listed and updated in real time based on changes from the electronic data feed;   receiving, based on monitoring the electronic data feed, information indicative of an order for medication for a patient from the electronic data feed;   determining a position in a virtual queue configured to display multiple medication orders to be filled based a position associated with another medication having a same type or a same component as the medication; and   providing an indicator of the order for the medication for display at the position in the virtual queue among respective indicators of the multiple medication orders.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , the operations further comprising:
 aggregating a plurality of orders into batches based on respective component medications that are indicated by each of the plurality of orders;   selecting, based on at least a first component medication of the respective component medications, a first batch of orders;   determining medication containers that should be retrieved from a storage location to prepare the first batch of orders;   providing an indication of the medication containers for display on the output device.   
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, from a recording device, respective captured images of each component used to prepare the medication associated with the order;   providing the respective captured images for display; and   receiving, after the respective captured images are provided for display, a verification that the medication was prepared with each component.   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
 updating, upon receiving the verification, the virtual queue to identify the medication as having been prepared and ready at a retrieval location for delivery to a delivery location   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving a first automated notification provided by a first reader device at a retrieval location associated with a preparation of the medication, and a second automated notification provided by a second reader device on a delivery cart, based on respective scannings of an active identification device affixed to the medication by the first and second reader devices, the scannings occurring wirelessly without a scanning action taken by a participant;   storing delivery progress information based on the first and second automated notifications, the delivery progress information including a last-known read location associated with the medication and a time of a last location reading at the last-known read location;   receiving, from a tracking device, a tracking request for the delivery progress information; and   providing, responsive to the tracking request, the delivery progress information to the tracking device to inform a user of the last-known read location and time of the last location reading.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , the operations further comprising:
 identifying an unused medication designated to be returned from a location associated with a patient before the unused medication is administered to the patient by a medical device designated to administer the unused medication to the patient;   determining whether the order for the medication can be filled with the returned unused medication; and   providing for display a notification to fill the order with the returned unused medication.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein determining whether the order for the medication can be filled with the returned unused medication is based on a comparison between at least two of an expiration time of the returned unused medication an estimated amount of time for delivering the returned unused medication to a preparation location, a time that the returned unused medication is to be administered to a patient, and a delivery deadline for the returned unused medication. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , the operations further comprising:
 determine that the order for the medication can be filled with the returned unused medication and another returned medication,   wherein the notification indicates that the returned unused medication should be combined with another returned medication to fill the order   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , the operations further comprising:
 provide, for display at a computing device remote from the system, a notification configured to cause a display of a graphical visualization of a path by which a delivery person can retrieve the returned unused medication while delivering at least one other medication, overlaid on a graphically displayed map.   
     
     
         20 . A method for managing preparation of a medication for a patient, the method comprising:
 monitoring, by one or more computing devices, an electronic data feed, the electronic data feed including data indicating medication orders;   providing for display, by at least one of the computing devices, an electronic virtual queue in which orders for medications to be prepared are listed and updated in real time based on changes from the electronic data feed;   receiving, by at least one of the computing devices, based on monitoring the electronic data feed, information indicative of an order for medication for a patient from the electronic data feed;   determining, by at least one of the computing devices, a position in a virtual queue configured to display multiple medication orders to be filled based a position associated with another medication having a same type or a same component as the medication; and   providing, by at least one of the computing devices, an indicator of the order for the medication for display at the position in the virtual queue among respective indicators of the multiple medication orders.