Automated System for Medical Item Dispensing, Billing and Inventory Management

An inventory management system for managing information regarding medical items dispensed in conjunction with medical treatment of a patient, wherein the medical items are disposed in a plurality of storage containers in a storage structure, the inventory management system comprising:

• a physician interface device operable to communicate via a communication network;
• a treatment protocol application in communication with the physician interface device, the treatment protocol application including computer-executable instructions which, when executed:
• access a listing of medical items from which the physician may select to be dispensed for treating a diagnosed medical condition of the patient;
• generate item dispensing information based on a selection of one or more medical items from the listing of medical items, wherein the item dispensing information includes first patient information identifying the patient to whom the one or more selected medical items are to be dispensed;
• and
• communicate the item dispensing information via the communication network;
• a customer computer in communication with the physician interface device via the communication network;
• one or more RFID sensors disposed in the storage structure and in communication with the customer computer, the one or more RFID sensors operable to sense second patent information encoded in a patient identifier RFID tag that enters the storage structure;
• one or more display devices disposed in the storage structure and in communication with the customer computer;
• one or more software applications in communication with the customer computer, the one or more software applications including computer-executable instructions which, when executed:
• receive the item dispensing information from the communication network;
• process the item dispensing information to determine a number of medical items to be removed from one or more of the storage containers to be dispensed for treatment of the patient;
• process the first patent identification information included in the item dispensing information to identify the patient to whom the medical items are to be dispensed;
• process the second patient information encoded in the patient identifier RFID tag that enters the storage structure, and determine whether the second patient information identifies the same patient as the first patient information;
• and
• if the second patient information identifies the same patient as the first patient information, activate the one or more display devices in the storage structure to visually indicate that one or more medical items are to be removed from the one or more storage containers to be dispensed to the patient identified by the first and second patient information.

An inventory management system for managing information regarding medical items listed on a discharge order to be dispensed in conjunction with medical treatment of a patient, wherein the medical items are disposed in storage containers in a discharge closet, the inventory management system comprising:

• one or more RFID sensors disposed in the discharge closet, the one or more RFID sensors operable to sense patient identification information encoded in an RFID tag attached to the discharge order as or after the discharge order enters the discharge closet;
• one or more display devices disposed in the discharge closet;
• one or more computers in communication with the one or more MD sensors and the one or more display devices, the one or more computers configured to store and process billing information for medical items dispensed to patients, the billing information including:
• information that associates each patient with a medical insurance provide which medical expenses incurred by the patent are to be billed;
• and
• information that associates medical items stored in the discharge closet with medical insurance providers that provide reimbursement for the associated medical items;
• and
• one or more software applications executed on the one or more computers, the one or more software applications including computer-executable instructions that:
• process the patient identification information Co identify a patient associated with the discharge order;
• process the billing information to identify a medical insurance provider to which medical expenses incurred by the patient associated with the discharge order are to be billed;
• process the billing information to identify medical items stored in the discharge closet for which reimbursement is provided by the identified medical insurance provider;
• and
• activate the one or more display devices in the discharge closet to visually indicate one or more storage containers in which the identified medical items are disposed.