Method for controlling a drug dispensing system

A dispensing system for packaged medical products comprising:

• a helix dispenser in which packaged medical products are stored;
• a bar code reader;
• a label printer that prints bar coded labels;
• a system computer connected to the code reader, the helix dispenser, and a display, the system computer controlling a dispensing operation of the helix dispenser and recording the bar code on a dispensed packaged medical product, the system computer being connected to a second computer with a communication link.

A method for dispensing a packaged medical product comprising:

• providing a dispensing system including a helix dispenser, a label printer and a system computer having a graphical user interface;
• loading a plurality of different packaged medical products into the dispensing system using a code reader;
• providing a database of patient medical data;
• accessing the database of patient medical data;
• selecting a medical product to be dispensed;
• dispensing a packaged medical product from the dispensing system;
• attaching a printed label having a bar code to the packaged medical product;
• reading a code of the dispensed packaged medical product with a code reader;
• and
• verifying that the requested packaged medical product was dispensed by comparison of the code read by the code reader to a reference code.

A method for delivering a prescribed packaged pharmaceutical comprising:

• providing a dispensing system having a helix dispenser containing a plurality of coded packaged medical products, a label printer, a system computer having a graphical user interface and connected to a second computer;
• providing a database of patient medical data;
• receiving a patient request for a prescription;
• accessing the database of patient medical data;
• sending authorization signals that are received by the system computer;
• generating a dispense order in response to the received signals to dispense a packaged medical product;
• reading the code of a dispensed package with a code reader;
• and
• verifying that the requested package was dispensed by comparison of the code read by the code reader to a reference code.