System and method for managing inventory at dispensing units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10762173-B2
Application number	US-201213705964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2012
Priority date	Dec 5, 2011
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

Dispensing units or stations for dispensing items, such as in a healthcare facility, are linked in a network. The dispensing stations are arranged in groups. Inventory data for all the stations in a group is combined together, and displayed at a graphical view or widget. Multiple widgets may be displayed on a dashboard screen of a user system, for use in managing inventory.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dispensing system, comprising:
a plurality of dispensing stations at a medical care facility, each station having a plurality of storage locations for storing items to be dispensed at the medical care facility, wherein the dispensing stations are arranged in a plurality of station groups, the plurality of station groups each including a plurality of dispensing stations, with at least a first one of the station groups comprising a plurality of dispensing stations at locations providing acute medical care at the medical facility, the acute care being a high level of care resulting from sudden or severe health conditions, and with at least a second one of the station groups comprising a plurality of dispensing stations at locations providing non-acute medical care at the medical facility;
a database for storing inventory data relating to the items stored at the dispensing stations; and
a processor programmed to execute a sequence of instructions to cause the processor to display, at a display device, information for a user, by:
providing a selection menu with displayed group identifiers, each group identifier identifying one of the plurality of station groups;
receiving from a user a selection at the selection menu of a first one of the displayed group identifiers identifying the first one of the station groups;
receiving from the user a selection at the selection menu of a second one of the displayed group identifiers identifying the second one of the station groups;
receiving from the user a time identifier identifying a period of time for which the inventory data is to be displayed;
calculating statistical outliers from the inventory data for at least one of station groups identified by the first and second displayed group identifiers; and
displaying simultaneously, at the display device, at least two graphic views of inventory data for the station groups identified by the first and second selected group identifiers, with the at least two graphic views displayed side-by-side.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one station group and the identified station group are the same.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the graphic views displays inventory data for data value outliers comprising mild outliers and extreme outliers relating to items dispensed at the dispensing stations at the medical care facility, wherein the processor is further programmed to execute a sequence of instructions to cause the processor to:
determine an inner data fence (IF) and an outer data fence (OF) of data values, wherein mild outliers are data values located between the inner data fence and the outer data fence and extreme outliers are data values located beyond the outer data fence, wherein the inner data fence and outer data fence are determined by the equation:
IF=1.5×IQR;

OF=3.0×IQR;

wherein IQR=UQV−IQV;
wherein the data values in the inventory data are arranged in quartiles according to value, including a lowest data quartile, a lower mid data quartile, an upper mid data quartile, and a highest data quartile;
wherein the lowest data quartile has the lowest quartile of data values, the lower mid data quartile has a quartile of data values between the lowest data quartile and the median of all data values, the upper mid data quartile has a quartile of data values between the median of all data values and the highest data quartile, and the highest quartile has the highest quartile of data values;
wherein UQV is an upper media data value between the highest data quartile and the upper mid data quartile; and
wherein LQV is a lower median data value between the lowest data quartile and the lower mid data quartile.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein a first graphic view of the at least two graphic views is a view of both a number of mild outliers and a number of extreme outliers in the identified station group, and wherein a second graphic view of the at least two graphic views is a view of users of the dispensing stations in the identified station group, with the respective number of mild outliers and extreme outliers for each of the users.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the dispensing stations stores both (1) items purchased from a supplier prior to being stored in the dispensing station and (2) consigned items not purchased prior to being stored but provided to the dispensing station on consignment, with each of the consigned items to be purchased when used for a patient at the medical care facility.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database stores cost data for each of the items stored in each dispensing station, wherein the cost data includes a first cost based on the earliest date such item was placed in the station group over a specified period of time, a last cost based on the latest date such item was placed in the station group over a specified period of time, an average cost for the item over a specified period of time, a max cost based on the highest cost of such item placed in the station group over a specified period of time, and a minimum cost based on the lowest cost for such item placed in the station group over a specified period of time, wherein the processor is further programmed to display, at a display device, information by:
receiving a selection from the user for one of the first cost, the last cost, the average cost, the max cost, and the minimum cost; and
displaying a graphic view of a total cost of items stored within a station group based on the selection received from the user.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first one of the station groups comprises dispensing stations only at locations providing acute medical care and wherein the second one of the station groups comprises dispensing stations at only locations providing non-acute medical care.

8. In a dispensing system comprising a plurality of dispensing stations at a medical care facility, each station having a plurality of storage locations for storing items to be dispensed at the medical care facility, wherein the dispensing stations are arranged in a plurality of station groups, the plurality of station groups each including a plurality of dispensing stations, with at least a first one of the station groups comprising a plurality of dispensing stations only at locations providing acute medical care at the medical facility, the acute care being a high level of care resulting from sudden or severe health conditions, and with at least a second one of the station groups comprising a plurality of dispensing stations only at locations providing non-acute medical care at the medical facility, a method of displaying inventory data, the method comprising:
providing, by one or more processors, a selection menu with displayed group identifiers, each group identifier identifying one of the plurality of station groups;
receiving, by one or more of the processors, from a user a selection at the selection menu of a first one of the displayed group identifiers identifying the first one of the the station groups;
receiving, by one or more of the processors, from the user a selection at the selection menu of a second one of the displayed group identifiers identifying the second one of the station groups;
receiving, by one of more of the processors, from the user a time identifier identifying a period of time for which the inventory data is to be displayed;
calculating, by one or more of the processors, statistical outliers from the inventory data for at least one of station groups identified by the first and second displayed group identifiers; and
displaying simultaneously, by one or more of the processors, at the display device at least two graphic views of inventory data for the station groups identified by the first

Assignees

• Omnicell Inc

Inventors

• Czaplewski Jason
• Weaver James
• D'Ambrosio George John
• Patel Manish
• Hixson Kim

Classifications

• G16H20/13

  delivered from dispensers · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G07F17/0092

  for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles (medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00) · CPC title

• G16H40/20

  for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms · CPC title

• G06F19/00

  Physics · mapped topic