Patent Issued for Medication sorting and packaging system and method (USPTO 11004553)

2021 JUN 22 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Information Technology Business Daily -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, a patent by the inventors Wollschleger, Dale M. (Solon, OH, US), filed on August 19, 2019, was published online on May 11, 2021.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 11004553, is Exact Care Pharmacy LLC (Valleyview, Ohio, United States).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Individuals may be subject to being prescribed or otherwise taking a variety of medications and supplements. These “medicaments” may each have unique requirements especially regarding the type, concentration, amount, and dosing schedule. A user that is consuming these medicaments is usually required to maintain their own dosing schedule either with the assistance of separator containers or on their own ability.

“As such, various services have become available to users that take a variety of medications or supplements. These services are designed to identify the type and quantity of medicaments, sort the medicaments, and individually package medicaments in a dispensing container subject to the dosing schedules of the individual. One such service is provided by ExactCare Pharmacy of Valley View, Ohio.

“ExactCare Pharmacy provides a service that organizes medicaments into individualized packages convenience for a user. The medicaments are organized by quantity, amount, and dosing schedule and arranged in a dispensing container. However, as this service has become more desirable, the provider is required to increase the amount and number of dispensing containers produced. The scalability of increased production may be subject to variables, which if mismanaged, may cause delays due to the nature of quickly organizing a variety of medicaments, script validations, changes in patient orders, non-routine requests, refill authorizations, and a variety of other elements that may be considered to properly execute a high volume medicament packaging service.

“Inefficiencies are undesirable from a productivity perspective. Therefore, there is a need for a method and system that is configured to optimize the production of sorting and packaging medicaments into dispensing containers to produce a high volume of individually customizable dispensing packages.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “Provided is a method for packaging a high volume of customizable dispense packages having a plurality of aligned pouches for containing medicaments including indicia having medicament information and dosing schedule. The method including the steps of inputting a plurality of order data including at least a first order and a second order into a tracking system. The order data may include patient identification information, insurance information, and hospital or doctor information. The order data may also include the type of medicaments, amounts, prescriptions, and dosing schedule. The order data may be inputted directly by the individual or from a third party provider such as a nursing home, hospital, doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional. The order data may be independently verified to confirm prescriptions and proper payment arrangements.

“The tracking system may be in communication with an array of medication sorting devices. One of an array of medication sorting devices is selected for processing the first order data and another medication sorting device is selected for processing the second order data. The selection may be based on the current status of each of the medication sorting devices within the array wherein each status may include a determination of the amount and type of medicaments contained within the device at the time the first and second order data is to be processed. The first order data may then be transferred from the tracking system to a selected medication sorting device. The second order data may then be transferred from the tracking system to a selected medication sorting device. The medication sorting devices of the array may each be stocked with a plurality of medicaments and the tracking schedule may analyze the status of the array of medication sorting devices to determine which device is to process which order. The devices may dispense medicaments into a plurality of pouches associated with the data. The plurality of pouches may be transferred to an inspection assembly configured to detect the plurality of medicaments within the pouches and to verify the order data corresponds to the medicaments within the pouches.

“In another embodiment, disclosed is a system for packaging a high volume of customizable dispense packages having a plurality of aligned pouches for containing medicaments including indicia having medicament information and dosing schedule. A tracking system includes a database for inputting, verifying, and communicating order data associated with a patient that may include an order for a patient to take a plurality of medications at various times of the day. The system includes an array of a medication sorting devices configured to communicate with the tracking system for receiving an order and dispensing a plurality of medications into a plurality of medication pouches associated with the order data. The pouches may be sent to an inspection assembly that is configured to analyze the plurality of medications within the medication pouches to detect and compare with the order data. The inspection assembly may be configured to notify that the medication pouches are accepted or rejected. If rejected, corrections may be made to add or remove medicaments from the pouches as needed. The plurality of pouches may be arranged into a medication dispense package that is configured to dispense each pouch as arranged by the order information including medication type, dosage, and time.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system for processing orders for customized medicament packages, the system comprising: a tracking system for receiving a plurality of order data from a plurality of third parties, the tracking system including an optimization engine wherein the optimization engine is configured to compare information from the plurality of order data, wherein the order data is representative of an order for a plurality of medicaments; an array of medicament sorting devices each configured to place a plurality of medicaments into a plurality of aligned pouches associated with an order data, wherein the optimization engine is configured to communicate with the array of medicament sorting devices to analyze and select the medicament sorting device to process an order; at least one inspection assembly that is configured to analyze the plurality of medicaments within the plurality of aligned pouches to detect and compare with the associated order data, the at least one inspection assembly configured to wind and unwind the plurality of aligned pouches; a plurality of dispense packages wherein each dispense package receives the plurality of aligned pouches for an associated order data; a plurality of non-routine medicaments; and a plurality of containers, each container configured to receive at least one dispense package and at least one non-routine medicament.

“2. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of containers are shipped to an individual associated with the order data.

“3. The system of claim 1, wherein said dispense package is configured to receive the plurality of pouches and to dispense each pouch as arranged by the order data including by at least one of a medication type, a dosage amount, and a dosing schedule.

“4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a conveyor system for translating the dispense packages from the inspection assembly to a non-routing medicament workstation.

“5. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is configured to process over 50,000 orders within about 8 hours.

“6. The system of claim 1 wherein the order data is at least one of a type of medicament, amount, prescription, and dosing schedule.

“7. The system of claim 1 wherein said non-routine medicament includes at least one of a liquid medicament, ointment medicament, inhaler device, medication, or supplement that is taken on an as needed basis.

“8. The system of claim 1 wherein said medicament sorting device are configured to print label indicia along the side of the plurality of pouches.

“9. A method of processing orders for customized medicament packages, the method comprising: inputting at least a first order data and a second order data into a tracking system having an optimization engine; analyzing an array of medicament sorting devices by the optimization engine; selecting a medicament sorting device from the array of medicament sorting devices by the optimization engine for processing the first order data and the second order data; processing the first order data at a first medicament sorting device to package a plurality of medicaments in a first plurality of aligned pouches; and processing the second order data at a second medicament sorting device to package a plurality of medicaments in a second plurality of aligned pouches; inspecting the first plurality of aligned pouches at a first inspection assembly configured to wind and unwind the plurality of aligned pouches; placing the first plurality of aligned pouches in a first dispense package; placing the second plurality of aligned pouches in a second dispense package; selecting at least one non-routine medicament associated with either a first dispense package, second dispense package, or both; packaging the first dispense package and at least one non-routine medicament in a container.

“10. The method of claim 9 further comprising verifying the first order data and second order data with a third party.

“11. The method of claim 9 further comprising inspecting the second plurality of aligned pouches at a second inspection assembly.

“12. The method of claim 9 further comprising packaging the second dispense package and at least one non-routine medicament in a container.

“13. The method of claim 9 wherein said non-routine medicament includes at least one of a liquid medicament, ointment medicament, inhaler device, medication, or supplement that is taken on an as needed basis.

“14. The method of claim 9 wherein the order data is at least one of a type of medicament, amount, prescription, and dosing schedule.

“15. The method of claim 9 further comprising shipping each of the plurality of containers to an individual associated with the order data.”

For more information, see this patent: Wollschleger, Dale M. Medication sorting and packaging system and method. U.S. Patent Number 11004553, filed August 19, 2019, and published online on May 11, 2021. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=11004553.PN.&OS=PN/11004553RS=PN/11004553

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