Systems for tracking medications

A public base station, comprising:

• a body;
• a plurality of wells within the body, each well configured to receive a respective medication container;
• a cover movably attached to the body, wherein the cover is movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein the cover in the closed position is configured to enclose within the base station one or more medication containers, each disposed within a respective well, and wherein the cover in the open position allows removal of a medication container disposed within one of the wells;
• a programmable electronic processor disposed within the body;
• one or more network interfaces operatively coupled to the processor;
• a computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the processor and encoded with instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the base station to participate in an electronic data network via at least one of the network interfaces;
• one or more cover switches operatively coupled to the processor and configured to detect the position of the cover and to indicate to the processor the position of the cover;
• a plurality of sensors, wherein:
• each sensor is disposed within a respective one of the wells such that the sensor is able to detect the presence or absence of a medication container within the respective well;
• and each sensor is operatively coupled to the processor such that the sensor indicates to the processor the presence or absence of a medication container within the respective well in which the sensor is disposed;
• wherein:
• the one or more network interfaces comprise at least a first network interface that is capable of short-range wireless communication with a second device and a second network interface that is not the first network interface;
• the base station participates in the electronic data network via the second network interface;
• and the base station communicates via the electronic data network with a support infrastructure;
• wherein the instructions comprise instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the base station at least to:
• attempt to establish a first connection, via the first network interface, with a portable wireless device;
• consequent to establishing the first connection with the portable wireless device, transmit to the support infrastructure, via the electronic data network, first information indicating the establishment of the first connection with the portable wireless device;
• subsequent to establishing the first connection with the portable wireless device, detect interruption of the first connection with the portable wireless device;
• and
• consequent to detecting interruption of the first connection with the portable wireless device, transmit to the support infrastructure, via the electronic data network, second information indicating the interruption of the first connection with the portable wireless device.