Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
  • G06Q10/087—Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H40/00—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
  • G16H40/20—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H10/00—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data
  • G16H10/60—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
  • G16H10/65—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H20/00—ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance
  • G16H20/10—ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
  • G16H20/13—ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients delivered from dispensers

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the distribution of products, and has particular effectiveness in the dispensing of products to patients or clients during treatment or consultation by a professional.
• a health product is prescribed, e.g., prescription pharmaceutical, or prescription eyeglasses.
• the office or clinic maintains an inventory of such health products with such inventory representing at least several different manufacturers or vendors. It is customary for a sales or other representative of each vendor to visit each office periodically, to determine the adequacy of the actual inventory of that vendor's products, and make adjustments to the inventory if appropriate.
• the physician or other professional is usually required to maintain an appropriate record trail of what has been prescribed, and the clinic typically communicates with the patient, the patient's insurance company, HMO, or third party administrator to receive payment for the prescribed product.
• a nurse or other physician's assistant in the clinic typically takes a prescribed product from inventory, prepares a suitable label with instructions, records the transaction, and gives the product with instructions to the patient before the patient leaves the clinic.
• Each transaction for dispensing a health product is labor intensive and thus represents a significant cost to the clinic. Furthermore, to the extent product dispensing records are maintained, the task of searching and retrieving these records is not easily accomplished.
• Such retail sales transaction be achieved in a manner which automatically provides for communicating with the manufacturer or vendor of such products, to periodically reorder for replacing inventory. It is yet another object of the invention, to more efficiently link a health care provider's clinic with the manufacturer or vendor of a dispensed health care product, and with insurance companies, HMO's, third party administrators, or others who are obligated to pay for the dispensed product on behalf of the purchaser.
• the system administrator provide information of interest to the professionals, including the availability and/or advantages of new products which the professional may wish to order from manufacturers he currently deals with or other manufacturers. It is still another object of the invention, to permit authorized representatives of the product manufacturers, to access only those portions of the product inventory records in the clinic, which involved that manufacturer's products, whereby the representative can independently check on product inventory, implement price changes, or add or modify information associated with each product, without involving or disrupting the clinic staff.
• One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for dispensing a wellness product from a products inventory in a clinic where a patient visits to consult with a particular wellness professional, which comprises providing the professional with a tangible prescription template containing a plurality of names of wellness products, each name having adjacent thereto, a unique pattern of coded information.
• the physician manually selects from the template a particular product to be dispensed to the patient by placing a mark at one of the product names.
• the unique pattern of coded information adjacent the mark is read electronically, and an association is made among the name of the professional, the name of the patient, and the name of the product identified by the mark. From this association, a record is generated containing the name of the professional, the name of the patient, and the name of the product identified by the mark.
• an electronic association is made, with or without the template, among a particular professional at the clinic, the name of the patient, and the wellness product identified by the professional for the patient. From this association, a record is generated or a label is printed out including the name of the professional, the name of the patient, the name of the identified product, and preferably the dosage and/or directions for use.
• the computer system in the clinic Based on this association for the dispensing of a particular wellness product from the inventory of the clinic, the computer system in the clinic accumulates information associated with each dispensing of a product to a patient, and compares the accumulated information with a product information file stored in the computer memory, including information on the inventory threshold below which each product is to be reordered.
• the computer system automatically prepares an electronic product reorder request if the number of units of a particular product falls below the reorder threshold.
• the clinic computer is electronically linked with the computer system at the supplier of the product in inventory, such that an electronic transmission is communicated to the supplier including a reorder request for the depleted product in inventory.
• the clinic includes a physical inventory of a variety of wellness products, and a transaction counter where one of the products is dispensed by a clinic staff member to a particular patient after the product has been removed from inventory.
• a computer system at the clinic has data files including a patient file containing a plurality of digitized patient bar or magnetic codes, each unique to one of a respective plurality of individual patients, and information about the patients including name and preferably address. Other patient information such as drug allergies can also be included.
• a product file contains digitized information about each of the variety of products including product name, supplier of the product to the clinic, active characteristics affecting wellness, and preferably instructions for use, and- a plurality of product bar or magnetic codes, each unique to one product name.
• One or more staff members utilize an automatic input template configuration including a first portion containing a bar or magnetic code unique to each professional at the clinic, a second portion containing the patient bar or magnetic codes, and a third portion containing the product bar or magnetic codes.
• An application program stored in the computer system embodies statements and instructions for the staff member to electronically associate using the automatic input device and the template configuration, one professional with one patient and one or more products, whereby the computer system generates from these associations, a dispensing record or label. The label is then affixed to the product as the product is dispensed to the patient at the transaction counter.
• the invention is directed to a system for dispensing wellness products by staff members at a clinic that has a physical inventory of a variety of wellness products, at least some of which carry a bar code product identification number, and a transaction counter where one of the products is dispensed to a patient after removal from inventory.
• a computer system in the clinic contains data files which include a patient file containing information about the respective patients such as name and address, a product file containing information about each of the variety of products, including digitized product bar codes corresponding to each of the product identification numbers.
• the data files also include a plurality of document image files, each containing a digital image of a supplementary instruction page which is applicable to the use of one or more products.
• An application program stored in the computer embodies statements and instructions for generating a dispensing data entry screen display having a plurality of fields for prompting a staff member to enter data using a keyboard and/or mouse, bar code reader, or mag stripe reader, or similar data input device. These data include the name of the professional, the name of the patient, the name of the product to be- dispensed to the patient, and the file name of one or more of the document image files. From the data entered in the fields, the computer generates a dispensing label containing the patient's name, the professional's name, the associated product name, the active characteristics of the product, instructions for use, and a document distinct from the label, constituting a supplementary instruction page.
• the documents necessary for the dispensing transaction are automatically prepared; past records are maintained; product inventory is automatically maintained; payment through the purchaser's insurance company or the like is automatically processed.
• the long standing relationship between product manufacture and the clinic is in one sense maintained in that the manufacturer's representative can still visit each office, check inventory, and, perhaps update the records to reflect changes in inventory, but in another sense this relationship is improved, through automatic reordering.
• the manufacturer can arrange through the system administrator, to have advertising information communicated to the clinic through the dedicated equipment.
• the present invention dispenses pharmaceuticals, automatically orders products, shortens the distribution process, and adds revenue to the practice.
• this invention _ preferably includes: 1. The ability of corporations to advertise with marquees, wallpaper, screen savers, and advertising on the physician reports and transaction receipts. This form of advertising is dynamic, and easy to change. 2. Enhancing the physician's and clinic's desire to sell a variety of products, increasing their ability to generate revenue, with minimal financial investment. 3. The ability of HMO's and insurance companies to supply pharmaceuticals to their patients at the best possible price. When an HMO purchases directly from the pharmaceutical manufacturer, they save the cost of wholesalers, retailers, and pharmacists.
• the HMO can arrange with the clinic to establish an approved formulary which can be transmitted and updated electronically through the system. 4.
• a manufacturer can identify the clinics most in need of their products, and thereby focus advertising for maximum impact. Also, those particular doctors who dispense many samples can be identified, and sufficient inventory of these samples for such doctors maintained.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a professional office or clinic, showing functional relationships within the clinic and a communications connection to sites external to the clinic, in accordance with the framework of the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the communications relationships among the clinic, the manufacturer of products to be dispensed through the clinic, third parties who interact with the clinic or manufacturer, and a system administrator who sets up and coordinates the interaction of these entities, for a fee;
• FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the computer hardware, computer software, and peripheral components associated with a typical implementation of the invention in a clinic;
• FIG. 4 is a simplified flow chart of the steps associated with implementing the preferred embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 5 shows a typical product label which can be scanned for entry into the product dispensing portion of the invention
• FIGs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 represent computerized data input records and fields displayed on a monitor screen, by which information about products can be entered via keyboard, mouse, or other input device into the data storage portion of the inventive system;
• FIGs. 10A and 10B represent data input screens for entering patient information into a record
• FIG. 11 is a representative data input screen, by which the user of the system can view information about previous prescriptions dispensed to a particular patient;
• FIG. 12 is a representation of a data input screen, whereby a patient can be associated with a particular physician, and with a particular prescribed product, based on the doctor's diagnosis and decision made during the patient's visit to the clinic;
• FIG. 13 is an example of a bar code template, by which bar code information can be used by the physician or physician's assistant to associate the doctor, the patient, and the product, without the need to enter alpha numeric information into each field of the data input screens such as shown in Figs. 10B and 12;
• FIG. 14 depicts a typical dispensing label that is produced by the system according to the present invention, to be affixed to the product as the product is dispensed over a transaction counter, to the patient;
• FIG. 15 depicts a typical data entry screen, by which information about companies which supply products to the clinic, can be initially entered and/or modified;
• FIG. 16 represents an option for the user of the system to communicate information other than product ordering information, to the product supplier;
• FIG. 17 represents a marketing message furnished by the system administrator to the user in the clinic, to encourage the ordering of additional products for inventory;
• FIG. 18 depicts the main menu of the preferred embodiment of the invention, as displayed on the monitor.
• a dermatologist sees a number of patients throughout the day, and based on a diagnosis, prescribes one or more medications (pharmaceuticals).
• the prescription is written and given to the patient, who then hands the prescription to a nurse, physician's assistant, or the like in the clinic.
• the assistant obtains the prescribed medication from inventory, prepares an appropriate label with the patient's name, dosage and the like, dispenses the product over a transaction counter to the patient, and then completes associated paperwork.
• This overall arrangement of a consulting professional, an assistant, a visiting patient, and a product to be dispensed from inventory may also be found in a variety of other health-related settings and can also be found in related fields, e.g., beauty or wellness.
• the present invention is most noteworthy in fields where the dispensing of products is highly regulated, e.g., pharmaceuticals.
• the term “wellness” will be used to encompass all these- fields.
• the term “clinic” should also be understood in the most general sense, to mean any entity organized to provide wellness services and dispense a customized product or customized instructions for product usage.
• the terms “physician”, “physician's assistant” and “patient”, are also to be understood in their general sense, as referring to “professional”, “assistant”, and “purchaser”, respectively.
• the term “staff member” refers to any of the physicians, nurses, assistants, or clerical staff of a clinic.
• a patient meets with a professional in a dedicated area of the clinic for consultation.
• the professional writes a prescription or in less regulated contexts merely informs the assistant that a particular product is to be dispensed to the patient over the transaction counter, prior to the patient leaving the clinic.
• the assistant takes one or more units of the product from physical inventory, enters certain information into the computer system according to the invention (preferably via bar code reader), and dispenses the product to the patient along with one or both of a product label and/or other documentation by which the patient is guided in use of the product.
• the computer system according to the invention communicates with a number of external entities or sites, for reasons and in the manner to be described with respect to Figure 2.
• the computer system in the clinic interacts with a computer located at the manufacturer or supplier of the product, with a computer of the system administrator, and particularly in the case of health-related product dispensing, with a computer at the patient's insurance coverage provider. Communication may also be made with home health care providers, labs, and with a global communications network, i.e., the Internet.
• Pharmaceutical dispensing can be classified into prescription, dispensing, sample dispensing, and HMO/insurance company dispensing.
• physicians can dispense directly to the patient with certain constraints.
• the computer system according to the invention electronically transmits an order to the manufacturer or distributor (Transmission Path A).
• a confirmation number is assigned and the manufacturer or distributor immediately ships the product to the clinic.
• the clinic is no longer burdened with keeping track of the inventory levels or ordering.
• the manufacturer or distributor is no longer burdened with a staff to receive and enter orders.
• Most physicians give their patients samples, and the physician should track the samples. Because this requires the physician's time, the tracking is rarely done.
• Pharmaceutical companies can use the present invention to encourage the physician to track and automatically order additional samples (Transmission Path A).
• pharmaceuticals are currently sold to wholesalers, retailers, pharmacists and patients and then usually paid for by an HMO or insurance company.
• the invention has the ability to sort the patients by HMO or insurance company, and transmit the prescriptions directly to their computers (Transmission Path L).
• the product manufacturer or distributor receives the next order, it separates the HMO/insurance sales from the non-HMO/insurance sales.
• the manufacturer then bills the HMO or insurance company directly (Transmission Path M), ships the full replacement inventory, and bills the physician or clinic for only the products sold to the non-insured patient.
• the term "covered" patient means that payment for product dispensed by the clinic, will be made to the clinic by a third party, e.g., HMO, insurance company, etc.
• the patient gets the prescription filled without going to another facility (pharmacist), and the HMO/insurance company purchases directly from the manufacturer.
• An HMO or insurance company can receive a list of their patients and prescriptions from every clinic, every day (Transmission Path L). By having access to this information, they can then negotiate with the manufacturer for the best product price, eliminating dealers and distributors. They can also receive a detailed analysis of all products used in the clinic, by department and by physician (Transmission Path L.) Every item used in the delivery of health care can be tracked and the responsible person identified.
• the clinic computer Every day, as products are consumed and dispensed, the clinic computer generates orders for transmission to the manufacturer (Transmission Path A). As the transmissions are received, the manufacturer can fill the orders and ship to the appropriate account. If preferred, the order information can be transmitted electronically to the system administrator, then faxed or mailed to the manufacturer (Transmission Paths B and G).
• the manufacturer and system administrator can arrange for uploading (1) new prices, (2) information on new products, (3) a new ordering time, and (4) new company address or new company security number (Transmission Path D or F).
• patient information about pharmaceutical samples could also be transmitted to the manufacturer or system administrator (Transmission Path A or B).
• the receiving company's computer checks the order or communication for integrity and completeness. If complete, its transmits a unique confirmation number that is used as a purchase order or reference number by both the sender and the receiver. For example, the information number can allow for an infinite number of senders to transmit to an infinite number of receivers and generate a unique number without comparing the numbers to those of other senders or receivers. Thus, competing companies can receive transmissions from the same clinics, use the same confirmation numbering system for billing, and be assured their confirmation number is unique, without comparing numbers with other companies.
• One suitable confirmation number generated by the supplier is in the form 17163019970629, where 171630 is military time (the time the transmission was received) 1997 is the year, 06 is the month and 29 is the day.
• a suitable confirmation number generated by the clinic could be in the form 0135A001.035.
• the leading 01 can represent the- company number
• the 3 is the type of transmission
• the 5 is the sequence number running, for example, from 0 through 9
• A-Z which can identify up to 35 orders per day per manufacturer
• the A001 can indicate the account number of the computer
• the three digits following the decimal can indicate the day of the year. If any party loses an order, this type of numbering system provides a clue for all involved parties to locate the order.
• Each confirmation number is thus unique to any particular order or other communication involving a particular clinic.
• the communication engine preferably makes ten attempts at calling the recipient. With each attempt, a phone will ring, e.g., ten times. If the receiving computer does not answer, if the phone lines are down, or if a failure to communicate arises for any reason, the confirmation number is "no answer".
• Every transmission or attempted transmission is stored in a communication/order confirmation log, which is preferably indexed by company, and can be reviewed, viewed and printed by the clinic computer system operator.
• all transmissions can be automatically printed, every morning, for example at 6:00 a.m. This allows the physician or other staff to quickly review the orders or communications, determine if they were transmitted, and attempt an alternative communication, e.g., by facsimile, if any attempt to transmissions failed.
• the communication engine Upon the call to the product manufacturer, or insurance company, the communication engine also calls the system administrator to transmit the same information as was transmitted to the manufacturer or insurance provider. This transmission to the system administrator represents a billable event. On any pre-established cycle, for example monthly, an invoice from the system administrator can be sent either electronically or by conventional surface mail or facsimile, to the manufacturer, clinic, HMO or other entity linked to the system, for payment. Payment would preferably be based on a flat fee per dispensing transaction, but it should be appreciated that other billing arrangements are possible.
• the system administrator performs typical administrative functions such as updating the computer software with upgrades, but in a manner to be described more fully below, the system administrator can also upload marketing materials, including advertising, to the clinic computer for background display to the operator.
• the typical clinic computer system would include a central processing unit (CPU), data entry devices, preferably including a keyboard, a computer "mouse", a bar code reader, and an image scanner.
• CPU central processing unit
• data entry devices preferably including a keyboard
• a computer "mouse” preferably including a keyboard
• a computer "mouse” preferably including a keyboard
• a computer "mouse” preferably including a bar code reader
• an image scanner preferably including a printer
• a magnetic card stripe reader may also be desirable.
• information can be digitally encoded for optical recognition (via bar code reader), or magnetically, for reading by a magnetic card stripe reader.
• Analogous encoding and reading techniques may now be available or may be developed. Currently, optical encoding appears most convenient and the remaining description will refer primarily to optical encoding and bar code reading, but it should be understood that reference to “bar code” includes the magnetic stripe and other equivalents.
• An alternative term, used herein, is "automatic
• Output devices would include a monitor, whereby the operator can interactively see a visual display and confirm the accuracy of the entered data, as well as one or more printers.
• one printer would be suitable for printing labels to be affixed to the product immediately before dispensing to a particular patient, and the other printer would be available for printing either informational documents to be furnished to the patient about the product or the manner of taking the product, or alternatively, printing internal records about the content of the database associated with the system.
• the CPU is also connected via communications devices, typically a modem and telephone line to the organizations external to the clinic. As is well known in the field of computer technology, the computer system would typically have associated with the CPU, a large memory device(s), on which three types of digitized information are stored.
• the first is a so-called operating system program, which may be a combination of software and firmware, which controls the arithmetic and logic operations of the CPU and associated devices and peripherals.
• the operating system would be Microsoft Windows 95, available from Microsoft Corporation and the CPU would be any of a variety of so-called "IBM compatible" units that are adapted to operate thereunder.
• a number of application modules are in digitally stored forms of computer programs adapted to perform the unique combination of functional features associated with the present invention. The programs could all be written in a common language, for example, "Visual Basic", also available from Microsoft or they could be written in different languages.
• the third type of stored information is the "input" or "calculated data", originating with the end user of the system.
• the application modules include:
• the other computers associated with the overall system of the present invention have applications modules that are activated when the computers communicate with each other.
• the system- administration computer has a system administration program (e.g., also in Visual Basic), for achieving the functionality described herein.
• the functionality of the communications engine was described above. Such communication is intimately associated with inventory control, insurance processing, and system administration.
• the communication engine is not a necessary adjunct to the product dispensing functionality.
• the product dispensing functionality of the present invention is itself believed novel and patentable. This can best be summarized as a system and method whereby the physician's assistant can take a product from inventory, associate the product, doctor and patient automatically (e.g., via bar code reader), create and print out a product label automatically, then dispense the product with label over a transaction counter to the patient, while having created a computerized record of the transaction.
• This core product dispensing aspect of the invention is preferably coupled to the inventory control functionality and the communication engine, whereby orders for replenishing inventory can be automatically created and communicated to the product supplier.
• the system administration functionality is not essential to the product dispensing novelty, but in conjunction with the inventory control and associated communication engine, the system administration provides a novel way of monitoring and billing for each transaction by which a product is dispensed. Including communications with the insurance companies via the insurance processing module of the invention, represents the preferred embodiment.
• a convenient first step is the receipt by the clinic of a shipment of products from a particular manufacturer.
• a given product may have a standard product identification bar code (i.e., according to ANSI standards, and example of which is shown in Figure 5).
• the input screens of Figures 6-9 are used by the operator to enter information when products are replenished or new kinds of products are added to inventory. If, for example, the product has a product number bar code (set by each clinic), that is entered in the "product number” field shown in Figure 6. If a professional in the clinic "compounds" his or her own product, a product number bar code can be automatically generated.
• the input screen of Figure 6 could be used when adding a new type of product to inventory, whereas the input screen of Figure 9 would be used when the replenishment products are received.
• product information could be transmitted electronically from the manufacturers, or shipped on media such as floppy disc, such that all the input information in Figure 6 is automatically entered into the product file.
• variety of product records in the clinic's product file could exceed the variety of products in inventory.
• the "extra" products represented in the product file can, with the present invention, easily be ordered by the clinic in a manner similar to orders for ongoing products.
• HMO's can directly influence the dispensing of products, by means of "approved formularies".
• an HMO establishes a list of products which based on cost or other considerations, it prefers to be dispensed by physicians.
• the HMO can arrange for the delivery of a diskette containing these products, for entry into the product file.
• the HMO also identifies the conditions or other factors which identify these products as falling within the approved formularies. This information could be contained in a separate, formulary file.
• the assistant is associating the doctor, patient and product,. an indication can be made as to whether this product is within the approved formulary.
• Figure 7 shows an input screen by which the clinic assigns normal usage instructions (e.g., dosage and frequency) uniquely for each of at least the products entered in the product file that are in physical inventory. These instructions will eventually be printed out on labels to be affixed to the respective product when dispensed.
• Figure 8 shows an input screen for the clinic to create files which contain information to be associated with a product, but which do not necessarily have a unique one-to-one relationship with a particular product.
• a list of up to ten file names of scanned instructions can be associated with a particular product.
• Each of the ten files would be a page of instructions or other information. This information could be initially scanned into the system via the scanner shown in Figure 3. This feature saves considerable memory, by avoiding storage of multiple document images for each product.
• the patient record screen as represented in Figure 10B is selected starting from the "Patient" field of the main menu. If no information on the patient is in the record, the display screen of Figure 10A is called and new patient information may be added alpha-numerically by the operator via the keyboard.
• a database of residences listed in the phone book within e.g., a 100 mile radius of the clinic is available, such that by entering merely the telephone number field shown in Figure 10B, the patient can be confirmed as a new or current patient.
• Figure 10A If the patient is new, most if not all of the other information needed per Figure 10A, can be transferred from the telephone directory database; otherwise manual entry- via keyboard can be made. If the patient already exists in the database, the product dispensing screen (to be described below) automatically appears. Other regional databases may also be utilized for this purpose. If needed a screen as depicted in Figure 11 can be called up to show a patient's prescription history.
• Figure 12 depicts the dispensing screen, by which the doctor, patient, product, and instructions are linked together to create an output document to be dispensed with the product to the patient. In particular, one output document is the product label to be affixed to the product, with an optional document being separate, supplemental instructions to accompany the product.
• the identity of the assistant who hands the product to the patient (“dispenser") would also be printed on the label. It should be understood that the professional could also be the dispenser, in the absence of an assistant. Preferably, much of the information to be entered in the fields of the dispensing screen would be scanned, e.g., via the bar code reader, thereby minimizing the time necessary for the physician's assistant to prepare the papers and create the records associated with a particular dispensing transaction. Scanning this information can be facilitated by the use of a "template” comprising a configured group of bar codes, a representative example of which is shown in Figure 13.
• the assistant is required to make an entry for each of the fields, or at least confirm that no entry is to be made, whereupon the system creates at least one printed record (i.e., the product label and/or other instructions).
• the label is affixed to the product and it is handed over to the patient.
• Figure 14 shows an example of such printed label.
• the template shown in Figure 13, or variations thereof, can also be used as a so-called "prescription pad".
• the physician names and product names are paired with adjacent respective coded versions of this information.
• Each such template is in the form of a disposable sheet.
• the physicians are provided with pads of such sheets, such that during the patient consultation, the physician can place a mark next to the physician's name, and a mark next to the one or more names of products prescribed for and therefore to be dispensed to the patient.
• the patient or physician can, after completion of the consultation, hand the sheet as marked to another staff member, who uses the sheet in the same manner as described above, to associate the physician and the products from the sheet, with patient information, according to which the dispensing label is generated.
• the physician with permanent or sheet templates can be electronically connected to the clinic computer or transaction counter, for transmitting the "prescription" electronically rather than manually.
• the "marking" in this case would be performed by placing a code reading device at the coded pattern adjacent the name of the selected product.
• patient template is the patient's physical chart or file folder, to which has been affixed a patient bar code strip.
• a patient bar code is also created.
• the assistant can at that time request the clinic computer to print out a patient bar code label, which is then secured to the patient's chart.
• the chart follows the patient during the entire visit to the clinic, and therefore is readily available to the assistant at the time the assistant uses the computer . to associate the doctor, patient and product. This would typically be much quicker than having the assistant leaf through many pages of patient bar codes maintained, for example, in alphabetical order.
• Patient - The patient name can be acquired by typing their name or assigned patient number, selecting from an alphabetical listing, swiping their driver's license, swiping a credit card, entering their telephone number, or from scanning their bar code.
• a patient's bar code would appear as %FM1234 where % cues the bar code to the computer.
• F is the first letter of the patient's first name
• M is the first letter of the patient's middle name
• 1234 are the last four digits of their phone number. This formula was designed because a patients' name might be too long to be printed on a conventional bar code printer.
• Doctor - The physician name is entered or scanned (the name can be bar coded in its entirety). If there is only one doctor, his or her name is automatically added to this field and the cursor advances to the next field.
• Dispenser The actual individual who is operating the computer can enter or scan their initials or swipe a mag stripe card.
• Product The product can be acquired by typing the product number, scanning the word "Products" and selecting from an alphabetical listing, or scanning the product bar code. If a product is not bar coded or a doctor is "compounding" a product, he can generate a bar code. The product bar code would appear as %P1234 where % cues the bar code to the computer. P is the first letter of the product name, and 1234 is the product number. This was designed to produce the smallest possible bar code footprint.
• Lot Number If required for tracking, the product lot number can be acquired by entering with the keyboard or scanning. Selecting "Y” (for yes) in the "Lot#” inventory record field (Fig. 6) will require the entry of this field when dispensing.
• the lot number bar code would appear as %$12345 where % cues the software, $ indicates a lot number, and 12345 is the actual lot number.
• Expiry Date If required for tracking, the expiry date can be acquired by entering with the keyboard or scanning. Selecting "Y” (for yes) in the "Exp. Date” inventory record field (Fig.6) will require the entry of this field when dispensing.
• the expiry date bar code appears as %/99125 where % queues the bar code, / indicates an expiry date, and 99125 represents the Julian date.
• Price Charge After the product is selected, the price, sales tax, if applicable, amount and running total are displayed on the bottom of the screen. If the product is to be discounted or given for free, the price can be adjusted before continuing by entering PC via keyboard or scanning. Are Instructions Correct? - Upon entry of "No", the cursor automatically goes to the instruction area for modification. Upon entry of "Yes”, it displays the product, price, tax status, amount, and total on the bottom and a prescription label (Fig. 14) if required, is printed. “Yes” also advances the cursor to the product field for selection of another product.- Dispensing Complete - When all products have been entered, scanning or entering "Complete” will update the patient record, update the inventory, update the sales tax records, and print a receipt for the patient.
• Figure 15 shows the screen by which the operator can enter new companies, or update information about companies, which supply products to the clinic.
• the information in this record is utilized to automatically reorder inventory.
• the program automatically assembles all orders for transmission to the appropriate companies. Order assembly will normally occur before the first transmission of each day.
• the assembly time should be entered in military time.
• the automatic assembly operates with respect to companies which have an "order day", and is keyed to that company's products which have fewer units in inventory than the specified reorder level (see Figure 6).
• the automatic reordering is communicated to the respective companies, and the companies arrange for the products to be delivered to the clinic, whereupon the cycle of steps set forth in Figure 4 is repeated.
• Figure 16 illustrates a suitable menu for initiating a communication to a company, other than the automatic order placement.
• the assistant in the clinic based on the physician's diagnosis and prescription, would perform the fourth through eighth steps in Figure 4, while interacting with the computer system and the patient.
• the ninth step of dispensing of the product completes the assistant's direct activity in the cycle. Thereafter, the computer system automatically at the appropriate moment, assembles and places the orders to the manufacturers, and communicates with the insurance companies and the system administrator.
• Communication with the system administrator can also include the uploading of product marketing information, in a form which is continually visible at the clinic's monitor.
• a so-called "screen saver” substantially fills the monitor screen when no data entry is to be made into the computer system.
• Such screen saver could be uploaded periodically from the system administrator; for example, a particular screen saver appears for a one week period. It could also be interactive, for example by including questions which the personnel at the clinic could be asked to answer, with some incentive associated with a correct answer, thereby encouraging regular and careful scrutiny of the marketing information presented in the screen saver. For example, it would be a relatively straightforward programming task, to include with the next transaction information sent by the clinic computer to the system administrator computer, an additional item of information constituting the clinic's "response" to an incentive question displayed on the screen saver.
• FIGURE 6 Add. Change or Delete Inventory
• Inventoried items can be displayed in the Group File Selection box in Product Name Sequence, Product Description Sequence, or Category Sequence by selecting the appropriate button at the top of the screen.
• NDC Number If the product is a prescription pharmaceutical, the NDC number should be entered.
• Cost This is the clinic's cost for the product. The default value is $0.00 for tracking samples given to patients.
• Product Number This is the UPC number, bar code number, or the clinic's assigned product number.
• Lot Number Y indicates that a Lot # should be captured when dispensing. N will cause the software to skip Lot # field when dispensing.
• Expiry Date Y indicates that an Expiry Date should be captured when dispensing. N will cause the software to skip the Expiry Date when dispensing.
• Sales Tax Y indicates that Sales Tax should be collected on this product. N indicates it is not taxable.
• the sales tax rate can be entered in the main menu (Fig.18) under "system”.
• the Sales Tax Reports can be found in the main menu (Fig.18) under "Reports”.
• Office Product Y indicates the product is used in the office. When the product is "dispensed", the prescription labels and instructions will not print.
• N indicates the product is for sale to patients.
• Sample Product Y indicates a product that is given to the patient as a sample. N indicates all other products.
• Find Button Select the Find button. Enter the product name, and select the OK button.
• Group File Using the scroll bar on the right side of the Group Selection Box File Selection Box, locate and select the appropriate product. When highlighted, the product information will be displayed.
• Instructions Select the Instructions buttons to add or change the prescription instructions. Enter or change the instructions. When finished, select the Done button. You will be asked to confirm the finished instructions.
• FIGURE 7 Instructions for Inventory Item
• This application allows you to enter and save up to 80 characters of instructions for the selected product.
• FIGURE 8 Scanned Instruction Files
• Find Button Select the Find button. Enter the product name, and select the OK button. The record will appear on the Group File Selection box, and the current inventory will be displayed.
• File Selection Box locate and select the appropriate product. When highlighted, the current inventory will be displayed. With the cursor in the + Incoming Inventory field, enter the number of units received, and touch the Tab key. The new inventory level will be displayed in the New On Hand Inventory field. Selecting the Update button will complete the task.
• Print Product This button prints a bar code for any product that -
• Bar Code needs one. If selected, Enter the Number of Labels needed.
• FIGURE 10A Patient File Maintenance
• Patient First Name This field is limited to 10 characters.
• Patient Last Name This field is limited to 20 characters.
• Social Security # Enter the patient's social security number or account or Account # number.
• Find Button Select the Find button. Enter the patient's last name, comma, space, and first name. Select the OK button. If the patient is in the system, their record will appear.
• Group File Using the scroll bar on the right side of the Group Selection Box File Selection Box, locate and select the appropriate patient. When highlighted, the patient's information will be displayed.
• notes can be made for future reference, regarding significant patient characteristics such as drug allergies, drug interactions, etc.
• FIGURE 10B Find Patient for Dispensing
• FIGURE 11 Search Prescription History
• Prescription reverse Select the Reverse Prescription button Button and confirm that you want to reverse the prescription. Enter your initials and select the OK button. The patient record is changed and the inventory is increased.
• FIGURE 12 Dispensing
• the product, price, sales tax amount, and running total is displayed on the bottom of the screen. Use the First, Next, Previous, and Last buttons to view each item dispensed.
• PRODUCTS - By scanning or entering the word PRODUCTS, you can select the product with a Group File Selection Box.
• Lot # Scan or Enter the Product Lot Number Enter the Lot # exactly as it appears on the product. If the inventory record indicates that no lot number is required, the field will be skipped.
• FU Date Scan or Enter the Follow-Up Date The follow-up date is entered or scanned as:
• the cursor will return to the Product Selection field, allowing you to dispense another product to this patient.
• the scanned images and prescription labels will immediately begin printing.
• FIGURE 15 Companies
• Company Name This is the name of the company that supplies the product. If it is purchased from a distributor, enter the distributor's phone number in the Order Line (Modem #) field. The order will be transmitted with enough information for the distributor to identify both you and the product.
• Order Time HH - When adding a new company, using the up and down arrow button, select the hour of order transmission.
• Last Ordered This field displays the last order transmission date.
• Fax This if the fax number of the company receiving the order transmission, not the fax number of the manufacturer. Because the number is printed on the top of every order, any failed transmission can be quickly faxed to the appropriate company.
• FIGURE 16 Communications

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• 1998
  • 1998-09-23 IL IL13521698A patent/IL135216A0/xx unknown
  • 1998-09-23 AU AU95008/98A patent/AU735949B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-09-23 EP EP98948434A patent/EP1018083A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-09-23 WO PCT/US1998/019808 patent/WO1999015990A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
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