A method and software interface enables selective processing of data
transmissions containing one or more medication orders intended for a
pharmacy. Data transmissions are monitored and parsed for prescribed
information which is utilized to populate a prescribed data structure.
The data structure and parsing rules can be associated with a specific
source that can be determined from the data transmission. The parsed data
is tested against an order database to determine suitability for
automated handling. If suitable, the medication preparation system
prepares the medications identified by the data. Those portions of the
data that are not suited for automated handling are released (e.g., from
the parser). Further verification can be performed by determining the
source of the data transmission and verifying it as a valid source. Data
transmissions can be monitored over a network, within a network
component, or in cooperation with another software program.