Pharmaceutical order processing systems and methods
AssigneeExpress Scripts Strategic Development, Inc.
InventorRobert E. Hoffman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pharmaceutical order processing system for filling prescription orders in dose-based packaging includes a pathway and a plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical (“IDP”) dispensers. The IDP dispenser dispenses pharmaceuticals one at a time and is movable along the pathway. A dose-based packager is positioned adjacent the pathway. The dose-based packager receives pharmaceuticals from one or more of the IDP dispensers when said one or more IDP dispensers are disposed adjacent the dose-based packager. The dose-based packager packages pharmaceuticals received from the one or more IDP dispensers in dose-based packaging.
Claims21
A pharmaceutical order processing system for filling prescription orders in dose-based packaging, the pharmaceutical order processing system comprising:
- a pathway;
- a first carriage movably mounted on the pathway;
- a second carriage movably mounted on the pathway, the first and second carriages being movable along the pathway independent of one another;
- a first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser configured to hold first pharmaceuticals, the first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser configured to dispense the first pharmaceuticals one at a time from the first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser, the first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser being supported by the first carriage and movable along the pathway via the first carriage;
- a second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser configured to hold second pharmaceuticals of a different type than the first pharmaceuticals, the second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser configured to dispense the second pharmaceuticals one at a time from the second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser, the second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser being supported by the second carriage and movable along the pathway independent of the first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser via the second carriage;
- and
- a dose-based packager adjacent the pathway, the dose-based packager configured to receive the first and second pharmaceuticals from the respective first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers when the first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers are disposed adjacent the dose-based packager, the dose-based packager configured to package the first and second pharmaceuticals received from respective first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers in dose-based packaging.
A method of filling prescription orders in dose base packaging comprising:
- moving a plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers along a pathway to position the plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers adjacent a dose-based packager;
- and
- packaging, with the dose-based packager, pharmaceuticals from the plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers in dose-based packaging, said packaging including packing a first pharmaceutical of a first type and a second pharmaceutical of a second type different than the first type in the same compartment of the dose-based packaging,
- wherein said packaging includes moving pharmaceuticals to the dose-based packager from the plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers, and said moving of said packaging includes dispensing the first pharmaceutical from a first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser of the plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers and the second pharmaceutical from a second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser of the plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers, and
- wherein said dispensing of the first pharmaceutical and the second pharmaceutical occurs generally simultaneously at a first time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.