A medicament dispensing cabinet is comprised of a frame, at least one
controller, and a plurality of drawers each movably carried by the frame
and each defining a plurality of dispensing cells. A plurality of
removable dispensing devices is provided with each one carried by one of
the dispensing cells. Each of the dispensing cells further comprises a
motor for providing rotary motion to one of the removable dispensing
devices in response to the controller, a sensor operating in conjunction
with the controller for counting medicament dispensed from one of the
removable dispensing devices, a chute for receiving medicament dispensed
from one of the removable dispensing devices and a chute gate for
controlling access to the chute. The cabinet may additionally comprise a
chute gate release responsive to the controller for controlling the chute
gate and a chute gate sensor connected to the controller and responsive
to the position of the chute gate. The cabinet may be used in conjunction
with a number of processes including dispensing, secure-pickup (insuring
the person picking up the dispensed medicament is authorized to do so),
back-end verification (verifying the identity of the person picking up
the dispensed medicament), a process for removing a dispensing device
from a drawer, and a process for inserting a dispensing device into a
drawer.