Method and system to track customer purchases

• US 20060074717A1
• Filed: 02/21/2003
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IQVIA, Inc. (IQVIA Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IMS Software Services Ltd. (IQVIA Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Feldman, Jay, Wieczkowski, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,095,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• 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: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

A system and method for identifying transactions relating to a single customer in a data set received from a plurality of outlets (402), such that one patient'"'"'s (404) pharmaceutical prescription data may be linked (406) to represent the entire pharmaceutical purchases of said patient is disclosed (414).

Claims

1. A system for identifying transactions related to a single customer in a data set received from multiple pharmaceutical outlets, comprising:

one or more inputs for receiving patient pharmaceutical prescription information from a plurality of pharmaceutical outlets, said patient pharmaceutical prescription information including information identifying one or more patients and a unique outlet patient identifier for each of said pharmaceutical prescription patients, and for receiving pharmaceutical benefit manager information from one or more pharmaceutical benefit managers, said pharmaceutical benefit manager information including information identifying one or more patients and a unique pharmaceutical benefit manager identifier for each of said pharmaceutical benefit manager patients;

an identification assignor, coupled to said one or more inputs and receiving said patient pharmaceutical prescription information therefrom, for providing an internal patient identifier for each of said outlet patient identifiers in said patient pharmaceutical prescription information;

a triangulation engine, coupled to said one or more inputs for receiving said pharmaceutical benefit manager information and said patient pharmaceutical prescription information therefrom, for comparing said pharmaceutical benefit manager information to said patient pharmaceutical prescription information; and

a storage device, coupled to said identification assignor and receiving said patient pharmaceutical prescription information, said outlet patient identifiers and associated internal patient identifiers therefrom, and coupled to a triangulation engine for receiving pharmaceutical benefit manager identifiers therefrom, and maintaining a table for linking said outlet patient identifiers, said internal identifiers and said pharmaceutical benefit manager identifiers.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second storage device, coupled to said triangulation engine, for storing said table.

3. The system of claim 1, where said storage device comprises a hard disk drive.

4. The system of claim 1, where said storage device comprises a magneto-optical disc.

5. The system of claim 1, where said storage device comprises a relational database.

6. The system of claim 1, where said one or more inputs comprise a network computer server.

7. The system of claim 1, where said one or more inputs comprise a personal computer.

8. The system of claim 1, where said one or more inputs comprise a mainframe computer.

9. A method for identifying transactions related to a single customer in a data set received from multiple pharmaceutical outlets, comprising the steps of:

receiving patient pharmaceutical prescription information from a plurality of pharmaceutical outlets, said patient pharmaceutical prescription information including information identifying one or more patients and a unique outlet patient identifier for each of said pharmaceutical prescription patients;

receiving pharmaceutical benefit manager information from one or more pharmaceutical benefit managers, said pharmaceutical benefit manager information including information identifying one or more patients and a unique pharmaceutical benefit manager identifier for each of said pharmaceutical benefit manager patients;

assigning an internal patient identifier for each of said outlet patient identifiers in said received patient pharmaceutical prescription information;

storing said internal patient identifier and associated outlet patient identifier in a table;

storing said pharmaceutical prescription information in a storage area;

comparing said patient pharmaceutical prescription information with said pharmaceutical benefit manager information to determine matches in transactions, to define links between said outlet patient identifiers and said pharmaceutical benefit manager identifiers;

updating said table to reflect links between said outlet patient identifiers and said pharmaceutical benefit manager identifiers; and

modifying said table such that each unique pharmaceutical benefit manager identifier is linked to only one internal identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of receiving patient pharmaceutical prescription information from a plurality of pharmaceutical outlets comprises receiving said patient pharmaceutical prescription information over a computer network.

11. The method of claim 9, where said step of receiving pharmaceutical benefit manager information from one or more pharmaceutical benefit managers comprises receiving said pharmaceutical benefit manager information over a computer network.