Automated system and method of recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in an electronic record that stores records for a plurality of patients associated with respective vending machines

Abstract

An automated method is provided for recording contents of medication packages vended from a plurality of vending machines in electronic records, such as an electronic medication administration record (eMAR), that store records for a plurality of patients who are associated with respective vending machines. A vending event causes the electronic record to be populated. The contents of the medication packages vended from the vending machines are recorded in electronic records without communicating patient names or vended medications in the electronic message sent from the vending machines.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A medication adherence system that records in electronic records contents of vended medication packages which contain medications that were previously dispensed, the electronic records storing records for a plurality of patients, the system comprising:
 (a) a plurality of vending medication devices, each vending medication device being associated with only one patient, each vending medication device configured to generate an electronic message whenever a vending event occurs at the vending medication device, the electronic message including at least a unique identifier of the patient, each vending medication device further configured to prompt the patient to initiate a vending event without receiving any instructions to do so from any external source at the time of the vending event; and   (b) a medication administration computer remotely located from the plurality of vending medication devices that maintains an electronic record for a plurality of patients, each electronic record having an associated patient identifier, the medication administration computer configured to:
 (i) receive from the vending medication devices the electronic messages generated at the vending medication devices whenever a vending event occurs at one of the vending medication devices, 
 (ii) detect for each received electronic message whether an electronic record exists in the medication administration computer for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient in the electronic message, and 
 (iii) record in a vended medications indicator field of the electronic record that the dispensed medications were vended if it is detected that an electronic record exists in the medication administration computer for a patient identifier that matches the unique identifier of the patient, and wherein all of the medication packages vended from a particular vending machine are for the same patient.