Pharmaceutical vial processing system and method

A computerized method for processing vials on a dispensing line comprising:

• (a) receiving at a server a plurality of vial identifiers, and for each vial identifier, a station identifier for vials travelling on said dispensing line to one of a plurality of stations;
• (b) identifying at said server a closest station to said plurality of vials and a vial destined for said closest station;
• (c) determining at said server if at least one of said plurality of vials is destined for a station after said closest station;
• and
• (d) in response to determining at said server that at least one of said plurality of vials is destined for a station after said closest station, initiating at said server a hold instruction to a hold device to hold vials traveling behind said vial destined for said closest station.

A computerized method for processing vials on a dispensing line comprising:

• (a) receiving at a server a drug order comprising a plurality of items;
• (b) identifying by said server at least one fill item in said plurality of items that requires an exception fill process;
• (c) initiating by said server said exception manual fill process for said at least one manual fill item;
• (d) initiating by said server an auto-fill process for said plurality of items except said at least identified item;
• (e) initiating by said server a first divert instruction to divert said identified fill item requiring an exception process to an order sorter;
• (f) initiating by said server a second divert instruction to divert said auto-fill items to said order sorter;
• and
• (g) after arrival of said identified fill item and said auto-fill items at said order sorter, initiating by said server a release instruction to release said identified fill item and said auto-fill items to packaging.

A computerized method for processing vials on a dispensing line comprising:

• (a) receiving at a server a drug order identifying at least one drug to be dispensed;
• (b) determining by said server a period of time an automated table counter for said at least one drug is offline;
• and
• (c) after said period of time, initiating by said server an exception process for said order of said at least one drug.