APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DISPENSING PRE-FILLED CONTAINERS WITH PRECISELY APPLIED PATIENT-SPECIFIC INFORMATION

摘要

Apparatus and methods for fulfillment of patient prescription orders by adapting a standard or stock container pre-filled with medication or the lik e for use as a patient-specific container through precise application of patient-specific information to the pre-filled container. Precise placement of the patient-specific information to the pre-filled container enables pharmacy management to fully utilize valuab le information provided with the pre-filled container, thereby improving the quality of service to the patient while making the process of prescription order fulfillment more efficient. In general, preferred embodiments comprise control apparatus and information-application apparatus. In embodiments, the information-applicati on apparatus is adapted to place a patient-specific label on the container. Preferred forms of the information-application apparatus include a label printer and a positioner. The preferred printer applies patient-specific information on a label. The preferred positioner orients the pre-filled container to receive the label from the printer such that information provided with the container is available for use.