Architecture for orchestrating promotional services

• US 20040236607A1
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symmetryrx, LLC
• Original Assignee: MedManage Systems, Inc. (WebMD Health Corporation)
• Inventors: Gleason, Mark, Chrobuck, Timothy, Tovrea, David V., King, Scott M., Kost, Cecil, Singer, Steven E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

The promotional orchestration engine includes a services engine that provides transactional responses to a user'"'"'s request, such as informational results being returned to the user or request for further actions that will be forwarded. An analysis engine stores data and provides tactical and strategic level analysis. The analysis engine uses transactional data generated by the services engine to abstract knowledge and consolidate and aggregate such information. The learning engine is a mechanism by which the promotional orchestration engine adapts itself to changing conditions. The learning engine preferably customizes various components of the services engine and components of the analysis engine. The learning engine causes the services engine to present different information over time so as to keep the system fresh. From a user'"'"'s standpoint, the learning engine allows components of the services engine to be personalized to the particular user.

Claims

1. A system for promoting pharmaceutical drugs, comprising:

a computer-implemented drug closet for a prescriber, the computer-implemented drug closet displaying a number of drug samples available to the prescriber to distribute to a patient; and

a promotional orchestration engine for responding to a request by the prescriber to distribute a drug sample to the patient via the computer-implemented drug closet, the promotional orchestration engine replenishing the number of drug samples in the computer-implemented drug closet according to a set of rules for distributing drug samples to the prescriber.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising recruiting Web services for executing the set of rules to discover the prescriber as a candidate for receiving drug samples, the Web services being capable of interacting with the prescriber when the prescriber is logged on to an on-line portal to recruit the prescriber to order the drug samples.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer-implemented drug closet for a health plan, the computer-implemented drug closet including drugs drug samples, information, and supplies.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic voucher that is generated when the prescriber selects a drug sample from his computer-implemented drug closet to provide to the patient, the electronic voucher being automatically sent to a pharmacy directly or via an electronic prescribing system for processing so as to distribute the drug sample to the patient by the pharmacy and receiving financial reimbursement through the pharmacy.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a customization component for customizing the drug samples in the computer-implemented drug closet depending on the preferences and the behaviors of the prescriber over time in using the computer-implemented drug closet.

6. A system for orchestrating drug sample distribution, comprising:

a services engine for fulfilling transaction requests by a prescriber to access services;

an analysis engine for executing a set of rules associated with a service requested by the prescriber, the set of rules defining whether the prescriber can receive a particular drug sample, its dosage, and its form; and

a learning engine for adapting the services in the services engine and the set of rules in the analysis engine for customizing information associated with services accessed by the prescriber so that the information appears as if it were personalized to the prescriber.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes an inventory management service for managing a computer-implemented drug closet.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes a representative visit scheduling service that allows the prescriber to request a visit from a sales representative.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes a phsyical samples, vouchers, e-coupons service for authorizing the prescriber to provide drug samples to patients.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes an e-learning link service to provide on-line education regarding a particular therapeutic drug.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes patient assistance service to facilitate drug programs for indigent or low-income patients.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes pre-enroll services to enroll a number of prescribers to the system at once.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes representative services to assist sales representatives with planning sales visits with the prescriber.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes pharma services for reporting trends and behaviors of the prescriber to the pharma.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes a knowledge base service for allowing the prescriber to search for medical information.

16. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes a personalization/customization service for allowing the prescriber to customize a service that he is using.

17. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes a patient education service that allows the patient to access education material regarding how to begin a drug regimen by printing such material or receiving it via common carrier delivery.

18. The system of claim 6, wherein the services engine includes recruiting services that allow a pharmaceutical company to initiate a recruiting campaign to attract prescribers to prescribe a drug.

19. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes a usage component for tracking sampling activities of the prescriber.

20. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes a samples vs. prescription component for correlating drug sampling activities to prescribing behavior.

21. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes a rules component for containing the set of rules, the rules component executing the set of rules to determine whether the service requested by the prescriber is accessible.

22. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes a prescriber preferences component for tracking preferences of the prescriber in using the system.

23. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes a health plan preferences component for tracking the drug preferences of a health plan.

24. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes a electronic authorization and authentication component for analyzing and validating electronic, digital and/or digitized signatures.

25. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes a fraud analysis component for identifying fraudulent sampling.

26. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes an inferential analysis component for providing analysis of trend and profiling data.

27. The system of claim 6, wherein the analysis engine includes a prescriber profiles component for providing demographic and professional information regarding the prescriber.

28. The system of claim 6, wherein the learning engine includes a recruiting profiling component for optimization of the process of recruiting prescribers for drug sampling.

29. The system of claim 6, wherein the learning engine includes an automatic interface customization component for customizing a user interface based on what the prescriber has done and is allowed to do.

30. The system of claim 6, wherein the learning engine includes a demand list component that tracks the desire of prescribers for a certain drug.

31. The system of claim 6, wherein the learning engine includes a statistics component that adjust statistics based on the amount of data that is available.

32. The system of claim 6, wherein the learning engine includes a reporting component that provides reports to the pharmaceutical customer.

33. The system of claim 6, wherein the learning engine includes a push marketing component that customizes a marketing campaign to prescribers.

34. The system of claim 6, wherein the learning engine includes an automatic rules update component for updating the set of rules.

35. The system of claim 6, wherein the learning engine includes a manual rules update component for providing an interface through which a pharma can control changes to the set of rules.

36. A method for orchestrating a drug sample promotional campaign, comprising:

receiving a request by a user to access a service;

recording the request by an analysis engine, the analysis engine determing a set of rules for governing the service as requested by the user; and

adapting a promotional orchestration engine to respond to the behaviors and preferences of the user.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the act of determining includes determining the set of rules as interactive rules when the request is by a prescriber for samples or e-samples.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the act of determining the set of rules as interactive rules returns a quantity of allowable number of drug samples as a response to the request by the prescriber.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the act of determining includes determining the set of rules as batch rules when an interval of time has expired.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the act of determining the set of rules as batch rules customizes a user interface based on the behaviors and preferences of the prescriber.

41. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored there on for performing a method of orchestrating a drug sample promotional campaign, the method comprising:

receiving a request by a user to access a service;

recording the request by an analysis engine, the analysis engine determining a set of rules for governing the service as requested by the user; and

adapting a promotional orchestration engine to respond to the behaviors and preferences of the user.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the act of determining includes determining the set of rules as interactive rules when the request is by a prescriber for samples or e-samples.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the act of determining the set of rules as interactive rules returns a quantity of allowable number of drug samples as a response to the request by the prescriber.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the act of determining includes determining the set of rules as batch rules when an interval of time has expired.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the act of determining the set of rules as batch rules customizes a user interface based on the behaviors and preferences of the prescriber.