Remote medication management system

Abstract

An integrated medication management and compliance system for enabling a care provider to remotely manage and deliver individual doses of medications to a patient, in a non-sequential fashion. The system includes delivery apparatus remotely located from the care provider, wherein the apparatus stores a plurality of sealed unit dose packages that are delivered to a patient at a scheduled dosing time. The delivery apparatus is coupled to a control facility and to a computer terminal of the care provider by way of a secure communications network. The system enables the patient's medication regimen to be remotely tailored in real-time to accommodate fluid medical conditions.

1 - 55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . A method for controlling operation of a medication delivery unit capable of storing at least one medication carrier, the method comprising:
 determining expiration information for at least one medication stored in the at least one medication carrier;   determining that the at least one medication is no longer usable based on the expiration information; and   inhibiting, by the medication delivery unit, delivery of the at least one medication based on the determination that the at least one medication is no longer usable.   
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein inhibiting delivery further comprises dispensing the at least one medication within the medication delivery unit such that the at least one medication is not dispensed to a patient. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein inhibiting delivery further comprises dispensing the at least one medication in response to a specific authorization provided to the medication delivery unit. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein inhibiting delivery further comprises refusing to dispense the at least one medication. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 56 , further comprising:
 providing an indication that the at least one medication is no longer usable.   
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 60 , further comprising providing the indication that the at least one medication is no longer usable to a user of the medication delivery unit. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 60 , further comprising providing the indication that the at least one medication is no longer usable to a remote controller. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein determining the expiration information further comprises receiving, by the medication delivery unit from a remote controller, the expiration information. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein determining the expiration information further comprises determining, by the medication delivery unit, the expiration information from at least one identifying indicia on the at least one medication carrier. 
     
     
         65 - 76 . (canceled)