Systems of enhanced distribution of pharmaceuticals in long-term care facilities

Abstract

Methods of enhanced distribution of pharmaceuticals in long-term care facilities are provided. An embodiment of a method includes positioning two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines each positioned in a different long-term care facility remote from a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server and in communication therewith, and long-term care facility pharmacy management computer programs associated with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to enhance use of the one or more of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines. The long-term care facility management computer programs include a patient prescription receiver and a medication dispensing apparatus administrator and are configured and operable to transmit dispensing instructions to the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines when no drug conflicts exist to thereby initiate packaging and dispensing of one or more disposable patient dosing packages.

That claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system of two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines having at least one of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines positioned in two or more separate and remote long-term care facilities, each of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines also positioned in communication with a communications network and in communication with one or more remote long-term care facility pharmacy management servers through the communications network, the one or more long term care facility pharmacy management servers being associated with a long term care facility remote pharmacy, each of the two or more long-term care facilities also being positioned remote from the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, the system comprising:
 each of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines operable to package and dispense a plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages, each of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages including one or more different prescription medications corresponding to an individual patient;   the one or more long-term care facility pharmacy management servers including non-transitory, tangible memory medium being associated therewith to store long-term care facility management computer programs, the long-term care facility management computer programs including a patient prescription receiver to receive one or more patient medication prescription orders, the long-term care facility management computer programs also being configured and operable to:   verify, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, the one or more patient medication prescription orders received from one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors when positioned in communication with the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines to thereby enhance reduction of medication order errors, the one or more patient medication prescription orders received from the one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors including an image of a physician's prescription order associated with each of the one or more medication prescription orders;   in response to reception of one or more digital images at one of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines, electronically compare one or more digital images of the one or more patient medication prescription orders with one or more of a patient medication profile, a patient diagnosis profile, and a drug interaction profile, to thereby enhance reduction of drug conflicts;   determine, responsive to the one or more patient medication prescription orders, whether one or more drug conflicts exists; and   transmit dispensing instructions to the one or more of the pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines via the communications network when none of the one or more drug conflicts exists to thereby initiate packaging and dispensing of a plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages at one or more of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines, each of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages including one or more different prescription medications corresponding to an individual patient.   
     
     
         2 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines includes a plurality of removable medication cartridges, each of the plurality of removable medication cartridges associated with an individual medication, and wherein the long-term care facility management computer programs further include instructions to provide remote training to one or more long-term care facility staff members from the long-term care facility remote pharmacy by selectively remotely controlling one or more functions, available to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from a terminal of each of the one or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines, by the long-term care facility management computer programs via the communications network responsive to input received from the one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel. 
     
     
         3 . A system as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the long term care facility management computer programs further are configured and operable to verify, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, one or more changed order reports received from the one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors to thereby further enhance reduction of medication order errors, the one or more changed order reports configured to indicate one or more of changes in time, quantity, and method of dispensing pharmaceuticals associated with the one or more patient medication prescription orders. 
     
     
         4 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more first dose medication carriers, each of the one or more first dose medication carriers corresponding to one of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines; and   one or more pro re nata (PRN) medication carriers, each of the one or more PRN medication carriers corresponding to one of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines,   wherein the long-term care facility management computer programs are further configured and operable to transmit additional dispensing instructions to one or more of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines to thereby initiate positioning of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages into a corresponding first dose medication carrier and a corresponding PRN medication carrier.   
     
     
         5 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the long-term care facility management computer programs are further configured and operable to transmit dispensing instructions to one or more of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines at one or more of (a) a predetermined time interval or (b) on demand. 
     
     
         6 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages includes one or more different types of medications based on a patient's prescription. 
     
     
         7 . A system as defined in  claim 5 , wherein the long-term care facility management computer programs are further configured and operable to establish block times for packaging and dispensing the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages based on specific medication administration times for patients. 
     
     
         8 . A system as defined in  claim 5 , wherein a time when the packaging and dispensing of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages occurs is based on physical location of one of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines and medication administration times for patients at the physical location. 
     
     
         9 . A system to facilitate enhanced use of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines when one or more of two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines are positioned in each of two or more long-term care facilities, in communication with a communications network, and in communication with one or more remote long-term care facility pharmacy management servers through the communications network, the system comprising:
 the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines arranged and operable to package and dispense a plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages, each of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages including one or more different prescription medications corresponding to an individual patient, one or more of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines being positioned at each of two or more long-term care facilities, each of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines being positioned remote from, and adapted to be in communication with, one or more long-term care facility pharmacy management servers associated with a long-term care facility remote pharmacy via a communications network, each of the two or more long-term care facilities being positioned remote from the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, the one or more long-term care facility pharmacy management servers including non-transitory, tangible memory medium being associated therewith to store long-term care facility management computer programs, the long-term care facility management computer programs including a patient prescription receiver to receive one or more patient medication prescription orders, the long-term care facility management computer programs also being configured and operable to:   verify, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, the one or more patient medication prescription orders received from one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors when positioned in communication with the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines to thereby enhance reduction of medication order errors, the one or more patient medication prescription orders received from the one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors including an image of a physician's prescription order associated with each of the one or more medication prescription orders;   in response to reception of one or more digital images at one of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines, electronically compare one or more digital images of the one or more patient medication prescription orders with one or more of a patient medication profile, a patient diagnosis profile, and a drug interaction profile, to thereby enhance reduction of drug conflicts;   determine, responsive to the one or more patient medication prescription orders, whether one or more drug conflicts exists; and   transmit dispensing instructions to one or more of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines via the communications network when none of the one or more drug conflicts exists to thereby initiate packaging and dispensing of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages at the one or more of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines.   
     
     
         10 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , wherein each of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines includes a plurality of removable medication cartridges, each of the plurality of removable medication cartridges associated with an individual medication, and wherein the long-term care facility management computer programs further include instructions to provide remote training to one or more long-term care facility staff members from the long-term care facility remote pharmacy by selectively remotely controlling one or more functions, available to the one or more long-term care facility staff members from a terminal of each of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines, by the long-term care facility management computer programs via the communications network responsive to input received from the one or more long-term care facility remote pharmacy personnel. 
     
     
         11 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , wherein the long-term care facility management computer programs are further configured and operable to transmit dispensing instructions to one or more of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines at one or more of (a) a predetermined time interval or (b) on demand. 
     
     
         12 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages includes one or more different types of medications based on a patient's prescription. 
     
     
         13 . A system as defined in  claim 11 , wherein the long-term care facility management computer programs are further configured and operable to establish block times for packaging and dispensing the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages based on specific medication administration times for patients. 
     
     
         14 . A system as defined in  claim 11 , wherein a time when the packaging and dispensing of the plurality of individual and disposable patient dosing packages occurs is based on physical location of one of the two or more pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing machines and medication administration times for patients at the physical location. 
     
     
         15 . A system as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the long-term care facility management computer programs are further configured and operable to verify, at the long-term care facility remote pharmacy, one or more changed order reports received from the one or more pharmaceutical prescription document processors to thereby further enhance reduction of medication order errors, the one or more changed order reports configured to indicate one or more of changes in time, quantity, and method of dispensing pharmaceuticals associated with the one or more patient medication prescription orders.