Pharmaceutical order processing systems and methods
View Patent ↗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.
1 . 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.
2 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , further comprising a pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus configured to dispense pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus is disposed adjacent the pathway, wherein the first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers are configured to receive the respective first and second pharmaceuticals from the pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus when the first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers are disposed adjacent the pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus.
3 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 2 , wherein the first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers move along the pathway between the pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus and the dose-based packager.
4 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 2 , wherein the pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus includes first and second bulk dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers, the first bulk dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser being configured to dispense the first pharmaceuticals and the second bulk dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser being configured to dispense the second pharmaceuticals of the different type than the first pharmaceuticals, the first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser being configured to receive the first pharmaceuticals from the first bulk dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser, the second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser being configured to receive the second pharmaceuticals from the second bulk dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser.
5 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 2 , wherein the pharmaceutical dispensing apparatus comprises a high-volume filler.
6 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers comprises a counting cell.
7 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , wherein the first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser comprises a chute defining a pharmaceutical passage sized and shaped to arrange the first pharmaceuticals single file within the pharmaceutical passage.
8 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 7 , wherein the chute is adjustable to adjust at least one dimension of the pharmaceutical passage to conform the pharmaceutical passage to the size of the first pharmaceuticals within the pharmaceutical passage.
9 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , wherein the dose-based packager is configured to receive the first and second pharmaceuticals from the respective first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers during a first period of time, the first individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispenser being configured to dispense only one first pharmaceutical during the first period of time, and wherein the dose-based packager is configured to package the first and second pharmaceuticals received during the first period of time together in the dose-based packaging.
10 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , wherein the dose-based packager includes a disposable guide configured to guide the first and second pharmaceuticals to the dose-based packaging.
11 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , wherein the dose-based packager is a first dose-based packager, the pharmaceutical order processing system further comprising a second dose-based packager adjacent the pathway at a location along the pathway that is spaced apart from the first dose-based packager, the second 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 second dose-based packager, the second dose-based packager configured to package the first and second pharmaceuticals received from the respective first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers in dose-based packaging.
12 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , wherein the pathway includes at least one of a cleaning station, a charging station, or a manual pharmaceutical filling station or a combination thereof.
13 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , wherein the pathway includes a linear section, the first and second carriages being moveable in a linear direction when moving along the linear section of the pathway.
14 . The pharmaceutical order processing system of claim 1 , wherein the pathway includes a main track and a branch track, the branch track having an upstream end connected to the main track and a downstream end connected to the main track, the branch track leading to the dose-based packager, the first and second carriages each being configured to move along the main track and the branch track to position the respective first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers adjacent the dose-based packager.
15 . 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.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein said moving of said packaging includes dispensing a second set of one or more pharmaceuticals from one or more of the individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers of the plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers generally simultaneously at a second time after the first time, and wherein said packaging includes packing the second set of one or more pharmaceuticals together in a second compartment of the dose-based packaging.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers that dispense the first and second pharmaceuticals are discrete from the one or more of the individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers that dispense the second set of one or more pharmaceuticals.
18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising loading, before said moving of said packaging, the plurality of individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers with pharmaceuticals at a location on the pathway that is spaced from the dose-based packager.
19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein moving includes moving the first carriage in a linear direction along a linear section of the pathway.
20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein moving includes moving the first and second carriages a main track and a branch track to position the respective first and second individual dispensing pharmaceutical dispensers adjacent the dose-based packager with the branch track having an upstream end connected to the main track and a downstream end connected to the main track.
21 . The method of claim 15 , wherein packaging includes guiding the first and second pharmaceuticals through a disposable guide to the dose-based packaging.